Tantalizing college students with the prospect of free art, tattoos, prizes, Chipotle and a surprise concert, the Museum of Fine Arts held its sixth annual College Night on Thursday.
From 4 to 10 p.m., about 5,000 college students from 44 different universities in the Boston area strolled through the museum, an MFA representative said.
The usual silence of the museum was contrasted by the loud babble of thousands of students flocking through the galleries, many sporting pink glow-stick necklaces around their necks.
"I had been studying hard all day and this was a good way to unwind," said Jonathan Makranski, a Boston College freshman. "Plus we get free Chipotle."
Aside from the promise of complementary chips, salsa and guacamole, students also arrived early to nab first-come, first-serve tickets for a free Sam Adams concert, this year's surprise concert.
College of General Studies freshman Hayley West said she arrived before the doors opened in order to guarantee her ticket to the show and the first spot in a line of more than 100 people.
"We're trying to get into the Sam Adams after-party," she said.
"I'm excited to be so close to him that I can smell his sweat."
West said she and her friends waited for two hours to obtain the first spot in line and had to fend off other eager attendees in order to stay at the head of the line.
"The people behind us in line tried to start a fight," she said. "They were kind of crazy."
In the Rotunda, booths were set up with computers for students to access their Facebook accounts. By "liking" College Night at the MFA, students had to chance to win prizes ranging from a free iPad, a year's supply of burritos from Chipotle or a tandem skydive.
Four special exhibits were also opened that night to students, including the "Avedon Fashion" exhibit and "Under the Skin: Tattoos in Japanese Prints."
With the promise to get a free temporary tattoo in any color she wanted, Monica Akhtar, a freshman in the College of Communication, said she waited for the tattoo in a line of more than 100 people at the Japanese Print Gallery.
"I got a stencil tattoo of flowers on my hip," Akhtar said. "I wouldn't have waited in that line though if it hadn't been free."
Upstairs, away from the hectic atmosphere down below, Berklee College of Music alumna and singer Liz Longley performed in the coffeehouse while students sketched sculptures in the European and Chinese sculpture galleries with art supplies provided by the museum.
Justine Tocku, a freshman at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, drew an illustration of the "Torso of a Standing Bodhisattva" while munching on snacks provided by Chipotle.
"I came here mainly to practice my sketching and eat," Tocku, an illustration major, said. "I love how much free stuff they have."
The night ended with a dance party in the European Gallery with DJ Taylor Walker.
"It was really nice to have a fun activity to do on a usually quiet Thursday night," Akhtar said.</p>
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