A magic carpet night
October 13, 2016
Diamond Bar High School students will take a magic carpet ride to Homecoming this year as “Arabian Nights” will be the theme at the annual dance to be held Saturday at the Westin Hotel near South Coast Plaza.
Using a list of ideas from past commissioners, USB voted on the theme they believed would be the most exciting to bring to life.
Although the administration does have some input on aspects such as the location of the venue, senior commissioners Joyce Lee and Muntaha Qadri are in charge of the project.
They are aided by other USB members with poster painting, sales and advertising.
An event planning company, SOS Entertainment, will also help to coordinate and provide different activities.
“[SOS Entertainment] finds their resources so that we don’t have to do everything individually, when it’s cheaper, usually, when you use a vendor like that,” Activities Director Janna Van Horn said.
One complication was that Van Horn was on maternity leave while the members were deciding on a location.
In addition, the first venue of choice was the new House of Blues at the Anaheim Gardenwalk, with a different theme to fit that location.
Unfortunately, the House of Blues was double booked and USB had to search through several venue options once again.
“It’s a beautiful venue and I like that we are going out toward the beach, driving toward Orange County instead of Los Angeles this time. It’s going to be a little different for our students,” Van Horn said.
Despite the last minute decision, USB considers the Westin, in Costa Mesa, an apt choice, with a spacious setting that will cater to several activities including dancing and taking photos.
“The Westin was actually unplanned. We had a lot of other different places in mind, but it just didn’t work out because we have a lot of students going,” Lee said.
Going with the theme, most of decor will be based around Moroccan design, such as floating lanterns. Several new elements to the 7-10 p.m. dance include a smoothie bar, a Mediterranean inspired food spread, flash tattoos and both a traditional photo booth as well as a different, more digital forward photo booth.
“Obviously you won’t satisfy everyone, but you want to make sure that it’s a memorable night for everyone,” Qadri said.
USB also prepared various lunchtime activities throughout the week leading up to the Homecoming game Friday, when the court will be announced. A single ticket costs $60 with an activity card and $65 without one. Duo tickets cost $120 with an activity card and $130 without.
