One should not be surprised if, when walking around Purdue’s campus before Saturday morning’s football game, they stumble upon a gang of minions or a group of Mario characters. The Boilermakers aren’t getting prepared for Halloween a week early, but engaging in a campus tradition, “The Breakfast Club.”

“It’s this thing where you dress up in a themed costume with a group of friends and go to the bars around 7 a.m.,” said Steve Loborec, senior at Purdue. “It’s like Halloween every weekend. Some people don’t sleep at all, they go out Friday night, go home and make their costumes and go back out in the early morning.”

There’s more traditions than usual this weekend, as it marks Purdue’s Homecoming weekend. There will be a parade on Friday evening, a presentation of the Homecoming court and a flyover before the game.

Like every football weekend at Purdue, on Friday night there is the Boiler Bridge Walk, where the football team, Purdue Pete and the cheerleaders come out and walk from Lafeyette to West Lafeyette and people can come meet the players. On game day Street Fest is held across from the Lambert Fieldhouse, with inflatables and free food.

“Every game weekend is always a very exciting time and campus is just overtaken than the game,” said Kevin Schenk, junior at Purdue.

Purdue’s mascot, the Boilermaker Special, is a train that has rides across campus during game weekends.

“You can go around town and it goes up to like 55 miles an hour, it’s an experience,” said Melissa Gleissner, junior at Purdue.

Another feature during the game includes the Big Brass Drum, a drum used by the marching band that’s more than 10 feet high and known as the world’s largest drum.

On Purdue’s campus there are two fountains, the Loeb Fountain and the Purdue Mall Fountain. It’s a school tradition for students to run through one of the fountains before they graduate.

There are also a variety of places for people to eat at the game, they can even get a peanut butter burger at the Triple XXX diner.

“People think it’s gross, but it actually tastes delicious,” Schenk said.

A famous bar on campus is called Harry’s Chocolate Shop, which is a bar but called a chocolate shop because during Prohibition the liquor would be hidden.

“There’s just so much to do on campus, especially during football weekends, that people can really experience the culture of Purdue,” Gleissner said.