It’s not about religion or drinking.

It’s about the season.

Dawgs After Dark’s Winter Wonderland theme is for everyone, said student Katie AliFarhani, the event’s division coordinator.

Dawgs After Dark, an event put on by the University Union several times a semester, combines themed entertainment with free food for students. FILE/The Red & Black

“Last December in our committee meeting, we came together and thought of all the ideas,” she said. “We knew we wanted something that had to do with the season, but wasn’t religious-based.”

Instead, the event channels the joys of cooler weather with indoor activities, gifts and food — a crowd favorite.

“We have construct-a-bear — which is like ‘Build-a-Bear’ — ice sculptures, a Mount Everest rock climbing wall and snow boarding games,” she said.

Elizabeth Hansen, assistant director for student activities, knows the importance of having interactive games.

“We’ve had this type [of game] in the past, with a surfboard,” she said. “It’s moving, so you have to stay balanced. And then there will be ski-slope arcade games. If the weather cooperates, it’ll be snowing too — and when it doesn’t, the snow will be fake. We’re also showing ‘Ice Age’ at midnight. That’s something we’ve been trying to incorporate more, an extra entertainment element.”

With a function of such magnitude, preparation takes time — lots of it.

“We already know all of the dates and themes for the Spring semester – that part happens a semester ahead of time,” Hansen said, “especially the dates, because we use so much space. So we have to plan a month to two months out. We have one company in particular that we work with really closely. We know what they have and they help us. We give them some really crazy ideas, like the ice sculptures, and they help us do it.”

Despite consistently imagining new components to add to each event, one element of the Dawgs After Dark night remains constant:  free goodies.

“We always do free food, and that’s usually a big draw,” Hansen said. “We’re having Choo Choo’s, and that’s always popular. We’re hoping to get lots of people through.”

Whether it’s for the games, the food or the memories, the organizers behind Dawgs After Dark want students to enjoy themselves, without a cost greater than a few dollars.

The most important thing isn’t how students enjoy themselves, but that they do.

“The main reason why we have this is because it’s a clean, safe environment for kids to go to and have fun,” AliFarhani said. “Even if students aren’t 21, they have peer pressure to go downtown. At Dawgs After Dark … it’s free, fun and not illegal.”

DAWGS AFTER DARK

When: Friday from 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Where: Tate Student Center

Price: Free (students with valid UGA ID), $5