Bids, balloons and banners: An analysis of Bid Day 2025

This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster, any organizations the author is a member of or the faculty, staff or administration at Mercer University.

Mercer sororities hosted their annual 'Bid Day' event, which celebrates the end of Panhellenic recruitment and formally assigns each incoming member to their new sorority, Saturday, September 6th. Each year, these sororities go all out in theming their Bid Days, complete with banners, balloons, outfits, and decorative body paint. Mercer currently hosts four Panhellenic sororities on campus: Alpha Gamma Delta, Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi and Phi Mu.

Here are their four bid day themes, ranked.

4. Alpha Delta Pi

ADPi's theme this year was "My My Miss American Pi," a tribute to Americana and the famous Don McLean song. Although I got the intent that they were going for, it's odd that the song actually goes 'Bye Bye', instead, which is a little off-putting. Otherwise, the theming was on point, including very pretty banners with a perfect touch of light blue flannel patterning and serif typography that provided a nice contrast. Observing the fairly basic red-white-and-blue costumes that adorned the recruitment members, though, the impression is that more could have been done to really give the outfits an "x-factor." The house's balloon structure was a high point, though, and included red-and-white pinwheels and stars that offset the rest of the homogeneity. Strangely, the sorority's social media representation seems to be lacking, and as of 8:00 a.m. today, still have not posted a Bid Day update with pictures. Sigh.

3. Alpha Gamma Delta

Alpha Gam's theme this year was "Here Comes The Sun," another musical entry, this time paying homage to the Beatles and hippie culture of the 60s and 70s. The theming was replete with pastel warm tones like orange, pink and teal, providing a very distinctive look and feel. The outfits fit accordingly, and mostly featured orange-yellow tones and included flowers for the hair and leis to give a laid-back and summery feel to the proceedings. While the theming was well done, the variations in pastel colors didn't provide a unified enough feel and the costumes and banners were too varied to really scream Alpha Gam consistently. The social media presence was sharp, though, featuring excellent action photos, and the new-member nameplates adorned with flowers were a great touch.

2. Phi Mu

Phi Mu's theme this year was "MUvie Stars," which featured pink Hollywood theming and movie-star costumes. The theme fit nicely with the ubiquitous pinkness of Phi Mu that infuses their entire presence. The banners were excellent and simple, detailed but not overwhelming the message. The new-member cards were also a very nice detail, emulating the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. The rest of the house theming, including the balloon structure, came off a bit sparse. More could have been done with additional texture thrown in, in addition to the golden stars and large pink spheres. Costuming wise, the Bid Day 2025 print was difficult to read on the white surface of the shirts, but the movie star sunglasses and decorative feathers made the effect, like the name of the sorority, short, simple and punchy.

1. Chi Omega

Mercer's largest sorority washed the competition ashore with their theme, "XΩ Marks The Spot." The sorority went maximalist with their theming, having an elaborate chain-balloon design that featured variations in texture and form in front of their house, making them stand out the most amongst the relatively standard balloon structures at the other houses. The banners were well-drawn and detailed, but what stood out the most was the costuming. Some of the members went all-out with the Chi O representation, and wore everything from pirate hats and bandanas to spyglasses and gold jewelry. The new-member signs left a little to be desired, as the font was thin and hard to read, but was made up for by the variations and uniqueness of the sign designs. A solid social media presence, along with the masterful use of accessories, gave the Chi O sisters the critic's choice award.