Vibrant face paint, dancing bare feet and glitter. So much glitter.

It’s got to be Serendipity.

This year’s music and merriment festival kicked off with a bountiful feast at the Guilford garden on March 29. Tables dotted the grassy lawns, offering fresh and local foods: a whole hog from Cane Creek Farms, Tomahawk Hill Farm beef, locally grown veggies and more. With full bellies, upwards of 800 students basked in the sun, tossed Frisbees or played a bit of soccer.

“The weather was beautiful and the food was beautiful,” said junior Taylor Seitz.

As daylight faded, movie-lovers laid out blankets and pillows on the Milner/Bryan lawn to enjoy this year’s Movie on the Lawn, “Madagascar,” which concluded the first day’s events.

Friday night, Mentalist Robert Channing dazzled a full house with his performance in Bryan Jr. Auditorium by using his “sixth sense” to predict thoughts and futures of audience members through various routines.

“I thought he was wonderful,” said junior Natalie Smith. “I was on the edge of my seat waiting for him to tell me my fortune.”

Outside, the blue, green and yellow flames of Illuminaughty fire performers entranced passersby in front of Milner Hall and entertained crowds of students waiting for Serendipity’s first concert to begin.

As the clock struck midnight, hoards of serendipitous party people flocked to the Founders Lobby, where Midnight Breakfast greeted them.

Diligent Meriwether Godsey staff members continually replenished the piles of French toast sticks, scrambled eggs, donuts, sticky buns and assorted fruits that hungry students attacked until the wee hours of the morning. And then, of course, there was bacon.

“Bacon is the most amazing piece of meat I’ve ever had,” said senior Darius Verdell.

Then on Saturday, with the sun at high noon and the storm clouds at bay, the third and final day of festivities commenced with the Serendipity Street Fair by the lake.

Local music artists supplied the soundtrack to a flurry of activity: students made tutus with Expressions in Dance, potted seedlings with Slow Foods, wielded baguettes with Fencing Club, shared secrets on postcards with Active Minds, tie-dyed t-shirts and painted bandanas with theme houses, and so much more.

“It was fun setting up the tie-dye station and letting Guilford go crazy with it,” said sophomore Keenan Lorenzato, a member of FLANNEL House. “It seemed that all types of Guilford students showed up for the fair — enjoying the events, sun, music and hanging out with everyone. Why can’t Guilford be like that every weekend?”

As the shadows lengthened, some students savored pepperoni and cheese pizza slices on Founders patio, others busted moves in the Bryan quad.

“(The dance party) was slow at first, but then … more people came, and it was like crazy madness,” said junior Thomas Kerr. “It was a whole lot of fun.”

And in the weeks to come, when we see body glitter still clinging to everything we own, our hearts and our vacuums will remember this serendipitous feeling.