The Dark Agora… it sounds like the title of some superhero movie: Batman fights the Dark Agora! However, we are not talking about fiction here…
“Dark Agora” is the name that has informally been given to the shadow of the real Agora Budapest; the most popular event in the history of AEGEE! With about 1700 applicants and only 785 accepted, many rejected participants decided to come to Budapest anyway. Planning and plotting to sneak their way into the gym, to crash the parties and to possibly conquer some left-over dinners. After all, nobody wants to miss this amazing event. So we can surely state that in the first week of November, Budapest will be flooded with legal and illegal Agora participants. The streets will be crowded, the hostels will be fully booked and the restaurants and pubs will make their annual profits in one week.
Of course, we do not recommend people who are not accepted as a regular or extra participant to go to Budapest, since there is just not enough space to host all these Dark Agora participants.
But since some of you are planning to do this anyway, and since die-hard devoted AEGEEans cannot be stopped, we decided to give you some tips on how to safely survive the Dark Agora:
1) How to avoid sleeping under a bridge!
The temperatures for November are not so suitable for sleeping under a bridge if your ‘sneaking-into-the-gym’ attempt fails, and many hostels will be full. So in order to ensure a sleeping place, you could try couch-surfing, it’s fun and free (check out couchsurfing.com). Or hook up with a cute Hungarian boy/girl at the very first party. If you do the latter, make sure to choose one that you find attractive enough to spend four nights with; that saves you from going through the whole process again at the next party.
2) Dress up and disguise!
Dressing up nicely might help you get past the bouncer in an overcrowded club. This tip is especially effective for girls (read: low cleavage, high heels, works like a charm!). Boys might be better off waving some paper around. Bringing a disguise is beneficial if your first attempt fails. Put on a wig, sunglasses or whatever hides your true identity and try again! Ever heard of the expression: ‘third time’s the charm’?
3) Food fight!
If you do manage to hop into the gym (even if it is just for a little bit) and feel hungry when the legal participants are enjoying lunch or dinner, your best chance of getting something is starting a food fight. Once everybody is all caught up in the delicate art of making eatable products fly, you can secretly catch some of the strings of spaghetti or pieces of bread that are flying around in the air and voilà, your meal is served!
4) Live streams and Hungarian beers: a perfect combo!
Last but not least: of course we do not want to encourage you to keep on trying if our lovely Agora organizers already told you several times that you cannot enter the gym, or the plenary hall, or the club. They have worked their asses off ensuring an awesome event, so we should respect them. So, in case the tips above fail to get you where you want to be, just seek comfort in the company of your fellow Dark Agora participants, go to a pub with WiFi, order a nice Hungarian beer and enjoy the Agora live stream on your phone or notebook. Better luck next time!
See you in Budapest!
Written by Maartje Natrop, AEGEE-Utrecht