One Word: Toad’s. The “Place” is optional. Toad’s Place is the place to be, especially for a Yalie on Wednesday or Saturday nights. Located right on York street- conveniently on Yale’s campus- Toad’s is a club where anyone can get their groove on.
I am a junior here at Yale, and so far, I have been to 4 concerts at Toads- Earthgang, Declan Makenna, Bryce Vine, and lastly, Kaliii. Other notable acts that have performed at Toad’s recently since I’ve been a student here include TV Girl (I am so sad I missed out), CupCakke, Jessie Reyez, and more. Toads also sometimes hosts fun Taylor Swift Party nights where the real swifties can sing their hearts out. Toad’s range is so crazy that they even welcomed Matthew Bennett a couple times- the guy who played Robbie in Victorious. Toad’s has also welcomed arguably some of the greatest artists and musical groups in the past few decades, including big names such as The Rolling Stones to Post Malone, Johnny Cash to Dan + Shay, and Bob Dylan to Snoop Dogg.
In addition to concerts and fun events being held at Toad’s, they do offer special nights exclusively for Yalies. On Wednesdays, Toad’s closes to the public and is only open to Yale students! We call this Woad’s. Remember that. You just show your Yale ID and pay $5! Toad’s also offers the more economical Soad’s (Saturday Toad’s, which is free for all Yalies). This is especially good for the Yalies who do not prefer to party on Wednesday nights, especially if Thursday is a long day.
I also make sure that I secure that Hallowoads ticket every year too- which now sells out every year- so you gotta try to hop onto those tickets right when they released!! There are also more holiday-themed nights at Toads such as Mistletoad’s (Christmas-themed) and Valenwoad’s (Valentine’s Day) too!
It is also worth noting that the student who goes to Woads the most throughout the year receives the prestigious and impressive “Woad’s Scholar” designation. Last year, the legendary Saybrook Cowboy, Ravi (‘24), received this designation for not missing a single Woads. This guy also was a STEM major who won the Fulbright award- a prestigious post-graduate fellowship for deserving students who are interested in researching or teaching abroad. All of this is just to say that it’s all about balance- aka, “Work hard; play hard. You can be about the grades and take advantage of Toad’s Place simultaneously.
I also attended a Shrek Rave at Toad’s last year, and that was legitimately one of the funnest nights of my life (funnest is a word in my vocabulary because of Toad’s Place). It awoke the child within me- maybe a little bit too much!! I also love going to Toads, not even only on Wednesdays because you have the opportunity to befriend people outside of the Yale Bubble.
More recently, I went to a One Direction Tribute Night at Toad’s with two of my closest friends! I feel like I’m still recovering from it, too. We all channeled our childhood selves and sang along to all the hits. They played all my favorites- Live While We’re Young, Kiss You, Rock Me, Night Changes, and other solo songs from the boys. I quite literally lost my voice in the best way ever from screaming all night. Because of events like these, Toads has a distinctive way of keeping me grounded in myself.
All of this is to say that we Yalies are lucky to have Toad’s on campus. It contributes to those fun and memorable nights that you can enjoy as a college student- especially at Yale.
