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Thousands of students will abandon their textbooks and dorm rooms tonight and head to Westwood Village to take advantage of numerous one-night-only discounts.
The fourth quarterly “Bruins Night Out” event will take place tonight, featuring a free advance screening of the movie “A Good Day to Die Hard” as well as discounts and deals at almost 40 stores and restaurants in Westwood, said Steve Sann, chair of the Westwood Community Council.
The event began fall 2011 as a collaboration between two Undergraduate Students Association Council offices – the General Representative 1 Office and the Campus Events Commission – and the Westwood Community Council. The event features discounts or giveaways at numerous restaurants in the Village in addition to a free movie screening for all students who present their BruinCard, Sann said.
“The purpose is to encourage students to go to Westwood, to occupy Westwood and create the college town feel,” said Jacob Rudolph, a co-chief of staff for USAC General Representative 1 Office.
Last year, thousands of students went to the event and Sann said he expects just as many participants this year.
“The energy that is created in the Village is awesome,” Sann said. “Thousands of students descend on the Village all on the same night.”
The event did not happen last quarter because the USAC Campus Events Commission had trouble securing a movie that would be released at a convenient time and was popular with students, said Campus Events Commissioner Jan Tancinco.
But this year 700 students will be able to see the lasted “Die Hard” movie at the Bruin Theater on a first-come, first-serve basis.
This year, several new restaurants such as TLT Food and U-Mini, both located on Westwood Boulevard, will offer discounts in addition to the staple restaurants such as California Pizza Kitchen and Diddy Riese.
Retail stores like Urban Outfitters and American Apparel will also participate in the event for the first time and offer student discounts throughout the day not just at night.
Contributing reports by Dylan Nguyen, Bruin contributor.