We all know that famous line from Star Wars: Episode V –The Empire Strikes Back: “Luke, I am not your Father, I am your Foamdaddy.” Oh, wait, that one is from Episode XVII, The Empire Strikes Bath. Well, Harvard nightlife might be “a movie” after Mather HoCo struck again last Friday night in a galaxy far, far, away (down at the end of Cowperthwaite Street) with the 17th Mather Lather.
Each year, Mather Lather, Harvard’s annual foam party, has a different theme and is titled with a related bath, soap, or foam pun. This year, it was a Star Wars play on words. And, thanks to the professional company that Mather hires, which provides a foam cannon called Foamdaddy, the foam was strong with this one.
After 1,000 students attended the first Lather in 2002, the sudsy soirée quickly became renowned. The New York Times mentions Mather Lather as one of the original Foam Parties, back when the theme started gaining popularity. Since its early days, Mather Lather has become a trademark of the House, as the only foam party at Harvard, and the execution of the event has improved. However, the Lather faced near-dissolution in 2019.
Concerns have been raised regarding the sanitariness of Mather Lather in the past, but the ultimate reason for its forced hiatus was the COVID-19 pandemic, when students were not on campus and mass gatherings were not allowed. In 2023, Mather Housing Committee (HoCo) circulated a form seeking interest in bringing back the event for the first time since 2019. The responses were overwhelmingly positive, and many seniors reflected that Mather Lather “is such a big part of being in Mather,” according to current HoCo Co-Chair Thor Reimann ’25. Reimann is roommates with Co-Chair Anna Dean ’25, who was also part of the team that successfully revived Mather Lather last year.
The absence of historic house-sponsored events like Mather Lather was a noticeable impact of COVID-19. “I think COVID did a number on house life,” said Reimann. “It’s these events that really crystalize why being in a house is so cool,” he said. “When are you ever going to build a foam pit in the dining hall again in your life, you know? I think it’s so college.”
The event helps boost Mather’s reputation. “It’s a great way to invite people to Mather,” said Reimann. “People don’t always come and visit Mather, so it’s a great time to get them to see the house, have some perks associated with the house.”
In 2023, 750 students attended Mather Lather XVI, according to Reimann. The goal for the 2024 event was “naturally 1,000, because that’s the next big number.” This year’s Lather had about 600 attendees, Reimann shared after the event.
Of this year’s 600 attendees, some were eager to experience Mather Lather for the first time. “I think it’s a really unique experience. I have heard about this but have never indulged in the activity. I’ve never heard of a party where there’s a bunch of soap and suds,” said William Grant ’24.
Fitting 600 to 1,000 students in a house dining hall is shockingly not a Jedi Secret. It’s a strategized process that finds success thanks to a huge team effort, a strict building schedule, and Mather dining hall’s open layout. The build runs from 9 a.m. on the day of the event until 10 p.m. when the Lather begins, and Mather residents volunteer alongside HoCo throughout the day to build a massive foam pit.
The foam pit is built from wooden frames that are reused each year. “A lot of these have special paintings on them that people maybe painted 10 years ago,” said Reimann. “Last year, being the first year after COVID, we had no idea what the paintings were on the tiles, so it’s like rediscovering institutional memory which is really cute.” The frames are then covered with layers of carpet and plastic tarp, so as not to damage the dining hall when foam starts spraying.
The foaming process has taken years of perfecting. “We’ve had 17 tries to get to this product,” said Reimann. “Before COVID, they used to…make the foam themselves.” The homemade foam solution unfortunately backfired in 2005, when the proportions were wrong and reportedly caused rashes. “I think this is where the rumors come from of it being unhealthy,” said Reimann. “But that’s why we hire our professional company.”
Reimann thinks that “it’s also just fun to, at a place that’s Harvard, have something that’s as unhinged as Mather Lather.” Perhaps it is this level of absurdity that makes the event the subject of speculation. “Freshmen this year were asking me, do you re-use the foam?” reported Reimann. “I was like, how would that be possible? Like literally what?”
Popular demand and preservation of house lore were what prompted the Lather to return, and working with house administration and HUHS to ensure a safe and healthy event is what will help it stay. “If it wasn’t going to be safe, it wouldn’t happen. We had to jump through hoops to make sure that we could bring it back, so it just wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t something that could last,” said Reimann. “It’s just like one of those items of House lore and it’s like if you lose that, you’re losing a lot of spirit and a lot of things that make your community unique.”
Safety precautions include mandated shoe requirements and “a pretty strict no alcohol policy,” Reimann explained, since a bottle or can lost in the foam could cause harm. The foam makes it hard to grip onto drink containers. “We actually still have a phone that someone lost last year and never contacted us about,” said Reimann.
This year, some took full advantage of the Star Wars theme, and students dressed in many different variations of Princess Leia made the Imperial March to Mather. There was also a range of scantily clad Jedis, Sith Lords, and even some droids in attendance. Maggie Swanson ’25 wore a version of Princess Leia’s classic white gown originally featured in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
Though the variety and creativity in outfits were stellar, many attendees simply wore swimsuits. Grant opted for a speedo. “I didn’t want to get all my clothes super wet and soapy. And I had a couple speedos laying around, so I thought it’d be a great idea to wear this,” he said.
Also sporting a pair of goggles, Grant was fully prepared for the space battle that was the Mather Lather dance floor. The Foamdaddy cannon, much like Darth Vader, had no mercy. In the middle of the crowd, foam covered all orifices, and at times it was hard to breathe and see. Picture elderly Princess Leia floating through space in The Last Jedi. Yet, (SPOILER) she survived, and so did all of the Mather Latherers. At the edges of the crowd, the foam was much more manageable, though still swamping up to peoples’ knees.
Though not as large a turnout as hoped, Mather Lather remained a hit and an admirable effort by the Mather HoCo. Perhaps even more impressive than the creation of the giant foam pit was the clean up. “We have to have the d-hall ready for breakfast in the morning. So clean up is 2 to 5, to 6 a.m. even; it’s an all hands on deck effort” said Reimann. “Our custodial staff, so blessed, they all show up at 2 a.m.,” he said, noting that some of the staff had even helped at the first Mather Lather.
At 3:57 a.m. on Saturday morning, the Mather House Instagram story revealed that all traces of the Lather were gone. Now, the Mather Dining Hall will remain a normally functioning dining hall until next year. Until then, may the foam be with you.
Clara Lake ’27 (claralake@college.harvard.edu) wrote this article while listening to the original Star Wars soundtrack