The end of football season leaves most UGA fans in a seasonal depression; from November to February, Saturday in Athens is like any other day. The locals go about their business and students stay shut up in the numerous libraries on campus, counting down the days until the end of the cold dreary winter and dreaming of being back between the hedges. When it seems that all hope has been lost, however, there is a light on the horizon.
Football season, meet darty season.
Darties, or day parties, are outdoor parties hosted by IFC fraternities for girls and (some) guys to enjoy, featuring local musicians and caterers, and are a chance to relive the excitement of fall tailgating. Most fraternities on Greek Row will throw one, filling the weekends of March and April with energy and activity. While fun, there are a few key things everyone should know about them.
1. Your outfit is everything.
Remember when you had your game day outfit carefully picked out and ready to go last fall? Yeah… me neither. Welcome back to the hustle and grind of going door to door of the people on your hall and asking to borrow that white top from their Instagram picture to go with the skirt that's been buried under your shoes all year. Never really gets old, does it?
2. Wristbands. The ice every guy wants on his wrist.
While women are welcomed onto any fraternity lawn, male presence is limited to the brothers of the fraternity and anyone they deem worthy to award a wristband to their friends and potential rushees. Think twice before you walk up to the bouncer and expect to walk by with your guy friends without a second glance.
3. People go to darties for different reasons.
While some people go to for the experience, many others use them to draw in potential rushees, as I mentioned before. High school seniors from all over travel to Athens in order to attend these events and get a feel for the fraternities that they want to rush in the summer and the fall. The connections made at these darties are crucial if a newly accepted dawg wants to join a particular fraternity.
4. Going with the right crew can make or break your experience.
If you pull up to the darty with friends that you can't have a good time with, then have fun staring at your phone awkwardly while looking for other people that you know. Go with people who genuinely want to go and have a good time and who want to enjoy this experience with you.
5. Go for the party, stay for the music.
The fraternities spend big bucks on booking great music for their parties, so you might as well stay to enjoy them. There is really no experience like being in the third row for a semi-private Corey Smith concert on a beautiful sunny day surrounded by your best friends.
A darty is another Saturday in Athens well-spent, even if it doesn't include Coach Smart and the Dawgs.
Darty season is just another excuse for students to get together and enjoy the people around them. What's not to love? The parties are exciting, the people are friendly, and it is an exciting way to spend a Saturday in everyone's favorite city. Darty on, my friends. Darty on.
