If you asked Manaal Saadaat ’26 and Spencer Yang ’29 what “party culture” at Brown looks like, they would have very different answers.
For Saadaat, it usually means hanging out in off-campus houses with a consistent, smaller group of friends. Yang painted a different picture — he can usually be found at larger gatherings hosted by fraternities or events organized by varsity athletes.
In The Herald’s Fall 2025 Poll, most students reported going out less than once a week. The number varied between class years, with seniors most likely to report going out at least once a week and sophomores least likely.
Yang noted that he was surprised by the social scene at Brown when he arrived on campus his first year. “I wasn’t expecting as many parties as there are. I heard Brown wasn’t a big party school,” he said.
Shruti Panse ’26 described Brown as “more of a kickback school than a frat party school.” To Panse, the most enjoyable aspects of partying are usually before and after the actual event when she spends time in smaller groups.
“It’s usually more about the people you’re with than the function,” Panse said.
“Brown’s party culture is a bit exclusive,” Olivia Baptiste ’26, a member of the women’s rugby team, wrote in an email to The Herald. She attributed this fact to hosts who are worried about receiving a noise complaint from local law enforcement.
Even with this exclusivity, it’s often worth the effort to try to find a good party, she noted. “A little bit of hide-and-seek is needed for parties at Brown, but a good party is a great party,” Baptiste wrote.
Edwin Castro ’28 attends what he would traditionally define as “parties” only about once a semester, but he regularly stops by club social activities once or twice a week. “I’ll usually go out after midterms are done, around holiday season or Halloween,” he said. “It’s like a celebration for me.”
Baptiste added that she has seen a significant shift in what parties look like throughout her time at Brown. “I think party culture differs among upper and underclassmen because underclassmen try their best to go to any party,” she wrote.
As a first-year student, Baptiste was “eager to attend any party,” including those hosted by Greek organizations that she “didn’t love” and “would not attend again as a senior.”
Now, with friends living off campus and access to bars downtown Providence, she often finds herself venturing off campus for nighttime outings.
James Murphy ’27, the starting quarterback of the football team, said the season influences how often he goes out. “There’s obviously a lot of demand with your sport, and then when you don’t have that, it’s like, ‘All right, now I get a chance to enjoy myself.’”
Baptiste described the party culture among athletes as “work hard, play hard.” In the fall poll, nearly 60% of varsity athletes reported going out at least once a week, compared to around 43% of non-varsity athletes.
Murphy also noted that a lot of socializing happens between teams. “Especially out of season, teams tend to mix with one another, like the football team will mix with the women’s lacrosse team or the field hockey team,” he said. “All athletes are in the same boat where when they’re in season — they’re very focused on their sport — and out of season, they have a bit more time.”
Though multiple students who were interviewed by The Herald noted that alcohol is easily accessible at most parties, nobody said there was any pressure to consume it.
“Students who are substance-free due to personal choice, religious reasons and some medical issues often experience challenges pertaining to the ways in which college culture embraces substance use,” Lyndsay Garcia, associate dean of the college for junior/senior studies and Recovery and Substance-Free Student Initiatives, wrote in an email to The Herald. She advised that these students may want “to find social circles and events that do not prioritize the use of substances.”
While Saadaat is over the legal drinking age, she chooses not to drink. She also said she has noticed a slight decrease in alcohol consumption among her peers throughout her time at Brown, as many reached legal drinking age and transitioned from fewer large parties to more small social gatherings.
“I would say there’s a healthy drinking culture” at Brown, Saadaat added.
Garcia recommended that students who want to attend parties but aren’t interested in drinking go alongside “a sober buddy” and “make a game out of the event to keep yourself entertained.”
“Bring tarot cards to read people’s fortunes. Count how many people are wearing the same shoes. Try to talk to five new people,” she advised.
