Flashing strobe lights accompanied lively music, welcoming students to Junior Prom on Saturday at the Blanco Urban Venue in San Jose, a 3-floor venue housing games, refreshments and photo stations. The theme for this year’s Junior Prom was “An Aurorean Dream,” and tables were adorned with silver stars and LED balloons, lined with decorative mesh in shades of light blue.
A live DJ mixed popular tracks like “Love Story” by Taylor Swift and nostalgic hits including “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction. Mosh pits formed with dancing students who linked arms in circles and cheered to occasional prompts of “What’s up, Class of 2025.” Leaves and flowers encircled the railings of a balcony on the second floor, offering a bird’s eye view of the expansive first floor.
“My favorite part of Junior Prom is probably the view from the balcony,” junior Austin Liou said. “It’s really nice and you can see everyone below in the mosh pit.”
While there were spotted periods of light rain throughout the night, students were still able to enjoy the event inside the venue, exploring the various activities on each floor. Popular spots included the 360-degree live photoshoot and photo booth on the upper floors, where friends donned props for unique group pictures. Down on the first floor, students could choose from a variety of foods, including different types of egg rolls, kebabs and sushi, followed by dessert in the form of tiramisu, cream puffs and cookies. Students could order from a drink station placed near the dance floor, which served Shirley Temples.
“I like the venue and the three floors since there’s room for everyone,” junior Sanaa Gada said. “The food was also great, especially the spring rolls and sushi. I’m a vegetarian, and I’m happy with all the vegetarian options they had.”
