This past weekend was the 31st Annual Fall Festival at Villanova University and 1,200+ athletes came from all over Pennsylvania to compete in the largest student-run Special Olympic event in the world! Athletes from all over the state came to excel in sports like bocce, volleyball, long-distance running, the ever-so-wild soccer (we're talking double overtime and a shootout!) and powerlifting! With 6,000+ volunteers, Fall Festival is undeniably one of the most beloved traditions of Villanova University and nearly every organization on campus gets involved and makes the most out of the weekend for the athletes.

One of the most spectacular parts of the whole weekend is "O-Town" which pops up in the Villanova Quad where fellow athletes, students, and volunteers can meet and celebrate. Groups from all over campus come and set up tables for the athletes to experience- whether it be polaroids or bouncy houses, each organization brings something special to the table (pun… intended) in hopes of making the weekend a little more special for each athlete. O-Town is completed with a DJ on the Bartley steps and extraordinary guest performances ranging from Villanova's dance teams to a capella groups to the famous LPH flash mob.

There are a million reasons why Villanova University is so spectacular, but few beat the weekend of the Special Olympics Fall Festival. Fall Festival is more than just a weekend and is something you cannot fully grasp until you experience it yourself… but for now, just take my word for it: Fall Festival is true beauty at work! Fall Festival is a weekend where all people alike come together to celebrate the beauty of sport, the beauty of competition, the beauty of friendship, the beauty of inclusion, and above all, the beauty of life.

The entire weekend of Fall Festival is filled with competition, love, and, of course, lots and lots of dancing! Villanova's Fall Festival is one of the best times on Villanova's campus because it is a time to be apart of something bigger than ourselves as a community of Villanovans. It is a time to take a break from your schedule and realize all the "spectacular wows" around you. Fall Festival is a time where we are able to experience the extraordinary and - in a small way- contribute back to it!