Friday night, cobwebs and black and orange balloons will decorate the Union for Illinites’ Halloween event.

Illinites, a program under the Illini Union Board, has hosted events from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. every other Friday for more than three years.

Their events give students an opportunity to relax and meet new people in a non-alcoholic environment. Lauren Calderone, junior in Communications and committee chair for Illinites, said 700 to 1,200 people attend each event.

“It’s a lot of fun. You can do a variety of activities, and it introduces you to new people and experiences,” Calderone said.

With Halloween approaching, the Illinites program decided to celebrate with special activities. Natalie Miklyukh, junior in LAS and committee chair for Illinites, said that this Friday’s event will feature trick-or-treating, pumpkin decorating and the scary movies “Scream” and “Halloween II.” The event will also include activities unrelated to Halloween, such as the African Cultural Association’s Reggae Night and a Green Street Band performance.

The cast of IUB’s fall musical, “Into the Woods,” will perform and give away free tickets to their upcoming show. There will be face-painting, a caricaturist, karaoke and raffle prizes.

“There’s a big variety (of activities) that you usually can’t find in one location,” Calderone said.

Illinites’ broad range of activities make their events unique for students. Miklyukh said that Illinites is a fun way for students to spend their Friday night.

“It’s an opportunity for fun in a different sort of way,” Miklyukh said. “We like to provide an alternative for students who don’t consider bars a prime Friday night choice.”

Miklyukh said the committee tries to be creative when planning each event and that she looks forward to seeing her ideas come to life on Friday.

She hopes the Halloween event will be a fun, new experience for students.

“I hope they will enjoy it and have a blast. Hopefully this will be a different event for them, unlike any before,” Miklyukh said.

Greg Morrison, a senior in Communications, attends Illinites regularly because he enjoys the different activities and the $.25 Sbarro pizza. Morrison said students who aren’t sure how to spend Friday night should attend this Friday’s event.

“It’s a good place for new students to go,” Morrison said. “It’s something to do on the weekend,”

Calderone expressed her enthusiasm about the upcoming event. “I’m really excited about it. I’m excited to see how it turns out and how it goes,” she said.

An additional perk to celebrating Halloween with Illinites is that it is free.

“It’s totally free, and you can’t find free entertainment anywhere,” Calderone said.