This year, Palo Alto High School’s winter dance will be a masquerade ball and will take place in Paly’s Small Gym on Jan. 31 from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Tickets will be sold both ahead of time and at the door. Tickets cost $10 without an Associated Student Body (ASB) sticker and $5 with.

Students are encouraged to dress semi-formally, in attire similar to homecoming.

Students are also encouraged to both make and wear their own original masks.

ASB will sell decorated masks leading up to the dance on Jan. 24 and from Jan. 29 through Jan. 31 the week of the dance. Simpler masks will also be available for free at the door while supplies last. ASB Spirit Commissioner Maya Ben-Efraim encourages students to make their own masks.

“The best way to go about it is to make your own mask and have fun with it,” Ben-Efraim said.

Students are excited for this new theme and for the return of the winter dance, as there was none last year.

“I think the theme is sort of cool,” sophomore Michael Rowe said. “It’s a change that is welcome in my book. Paly hasn’t done anything like this before that I’ve heard of.”

ASB is also excited to welcome back DJ Dave, who was the disc jockey for the homecoming dance in October.

“I thought he was pretty good,” junior Katie Gonzalez said. “The songs were easy to dance to and it kept everything upbeat and moving.”