Midnight Madness will welcome the basketball season Friday evening with more basketball and less performance, Spirit Affairs Director Nicole Macchione said.

“It’s going to be less of a carnival atmosphere,” Macchione said.

In past years, performances have taken the thunder away from basketball introductions and scrimmages, Macchione said. To combat a growing level of disinterest among student, she said the men’s and women’s teams might scrimmage each other or play on teams mixed with players from both squads.

Students can expect performances from Christopher and his life-size puppets and a daredevil group and its high-intensity aerial slam-dunks. Students dressed in the craziest outfits will be selected to compete in various contests, including a target-shooting contest with a potential prize of $25,000.

Before the ceremonies, GW will honor the GW gymnastics team for its 2001 Atlantic 10 title.