TikTok users are comparing the Yale University holiday party to the “Capitol party” from the Hunger Games trilogy.
TikTok user and Yale student Millie Liao (@mildredsauce) posted the video in response to a previous video in which she details her experience at the Yale First Year Holiday Dinner. In the first video, she explains that it’s a tradition at the university held before finals week.
@mildredsauce Which parade food cart was the craziest? I vote the lobsters on the sleigh ice scuplture 🦞 #yale #yaleuniversity #yalefirstyearformal #yaleholidaydinner #parade #foodparade #bougie #yalefoodie #yalefood #yaledining #yaledininghall #yalerory #rorygilmore #gilmoregirls #gilmoregirlstiktok #oldmoney #oldmoneyaesthetic #college #ivyleague #collegelife #sushi #turkey #logcake #lobster #icesculpture ♬ Elegant and gentle, Boccellini's Menuet – Kohrogi
The event features an extravagant meal as well as a live performance of Christmas carolers and fake snow flying in the sky. A commenter known as @mer wrote, “it’s giving capitol party in hunger games.”
Millie responded to the comment with a second video, this time accompanied by somber music from the motion picture soundtrack.
The camera pans from an ice sculpture carved into a sleigh that is full of shrimp cocktail over to a giant table of sushi. “Yales holiday dinner is basically the capitol party from the hunger games,” Millie agrees in the text overlay.
Party guests record the bounty, presumably for social media. Another tray of turkey legs, ham, a full turkey, and assorted gourds also comes into view. The camera continues to bounce from decadent desserts to an elaborate fruit tray. “A parade of fancy food displays,” Millie writes.
The video then shows people dressed up in evening gowns. “Everyone dresses up in formal attire…” Millie writes. “People in crazy costumes on stilts.”
In the caption, Millie writes, “we are IN the hunger games, wake up society (just kidding… or am I).”
@mildredsauce Replying to @mer we are IN the hunger games, wake up society (just kidding… or am I 🤨🤷🏻♀️) #yale #hungergames #hungergamescatchingfire #katniss #balladofsongbirdsandsnakes #theballadofsongbirdsandsnakes #tbosas #thehungergames #katnisseverdeen #yaleuniversity #yalefood #yalefoodie #college #yaledining #yaledininghall #gilmoregirls #rorygilmore #yalerory ♬ original sound – ellensaep / el ➳
The video has amassed more than 1 million views as of Tuesday evening. In the comments, users expressed agreement with Millie and @Mer.
“The sushi part is so dystopian. Not a single person without their phone fr,” wrote one user.
“Hunger games was based on society in 2008. We have been in the hunger games,” agreed one user.
“My school just gives us hard cookies,” wrote another user.
One user sarcastically quipped, “Not even a phone in sight. Just people, living in the moment.”
Another Yale student wrote, “I’m a FGLI student at yale and I had a panic attack at this event because of the insane display of wealth.”
The Hunger Games fandom is apparently experiencing a bit of a renaissance in pop culture. This is perhaps due to the fact that the original Hunger Games films returned to Netflix in March ahead of the release of a new prequel. Oh, and the worldwide rise in fascism, perpetual war, and surveillance.
The Daily Dot reached out to Millie via email for comment.