Kit Clemente
Reporter
As the children of New Canaan excitedly prepare for a night of innocent trick-or-treating fun, others may be getting ready to participate in a night of traditional mischief, adequately dubbed Mischief Night.
Students on October 30 take part in pranks such as toilet papering trees, egging houses, and ding dong ditching. According to junior Duke Repko, it is typical to have previously arranged plans for the night. “The plans are very well thought out, usually there’s a plan B, or maybe even a plan C in case something goes wrong,” he said.
Some students admitted to partaking in this night because of its traditional value. “Mischief Night is the one night of the year where kids have an excuse to get away with mischievous things,” said junior Courtney Cole.
Other students participate for different reasons, such as the influence of friends. “I feel the need to go out on Mischief Night because of peer pressure,” freshman Patrick Hompe said. “If I’m with a group of kids, and I try to resist, they drag me into it.”
Participants may even pick out possible candidates to prank. “They might be a friend, enemy, or you might pull a prank on them to get revenge,” said junior Casey Ouellette.
Though some students are looking for revenge, others believe in a more friendly approach to the pranks. “I usually commit these pranks on people I know because if it was a random stranger that I pulled a prank on, I’d feel guilty,” Courtney said.
“Usually pranks from mischief night can be cleaned up in a day, so they’re pretty harmless,” Courtney said. “But if it was anything more than that, I’d help the people I pulled pranks on clean up, and I’d also admit to them that I did the prank.”
Many students don’t participate in Mischief Night at all. “I don’t go out on Mischief Night because I don’t really see a point in it,” junior Harrison Besser said. “It’s a waste of time, there are so many more productive things a person could be doing than wandering aimlessly and performing certain acts of vandalism.”
If students don’t go out on Mischief Night, many make alternate plans. “Instead of participating in Mischief Night, I personally prefer to help my younger brothers get excited for Halloween by adding last minute decorations to the house, getting their costumes ready, and preparing for the overall Halloween experience,” sophomore Abbie Jameson added.
However, participants and non-participants alike generally agree on what it means to go “too far.” “The pranks are generally harmless to an extent, as long as people are doing things that don’t cause permanent damage and aren’t offensive,” senior Megan Paul said. “As long as they know the pranks will be well received, Mischief Night is mostly harmless.”
Video by Emilie Kushner & Kit Clemente
