Slow claps echoed throughout the Ackerman Grand Ballroom minutes before midnight as Dance Marathon attendees chanted the lyrics to “Steal My Girl” by One Direction.

The Pediatric AIDS Coalition at UCLA concluded the 10-hour event at 12:18 a.m. Sunday after raising $53,932 – a total announced by members lifting large, bolded numbers in celebration with the cheering crowd. While last year’s donations exceeded this amount by $1,109, the coalition’s efforts were imperative to helping organizations that provide life-saving treatment, said PAC president Caroline Meyers. The fourth-year public affairs student added that the total reflected thousands of individual donations, each essential in helping their beneficiaries provide lifesaving treatment amid funding cuts from the Trump administration.

“I ask you to choose not to forget,” Meyers said. “Carry this experience with you – continue to change the narrative and erase the stigma.”

An AIDS-free generation is not an impossible goal, she said. Meyers added that this reality is something UCLA students will see if they continue to take action.

[Related: ‘United’: 2026 Dance Marathon kicks off to raise awareness for pediatric AIDS]

The audience remained lively throughout the event’s final hours. When PAC announced the last theme shift of the night – Bruin Bear vs. Crazy Hair – the crowd morphed into a blend of basketball jerseys and bright bobs. The group clustered closer to the stage as midnight approached. Activities such as the raffle, color wars winner announcement, T-shirt toss and final morale dances invigorated attendees.

Fervent whoops and fan-made posters reading “I love you, Max,” greeted the student band The Situations, who took the stage as the final performance of the evening. The crowd responded with sways, hops and aggressive head bobbing as the group played their setlists of originals as well as classics such as “Johnny B Goode” by Chuck Berry. Niccolo Terango, a third-year business economics student who attended the entirety of the 10-hour event, said Dance Marathon shows how music can connect the community to support important causes.

“I came out here to hang out with a bunch of my friends,” Terango said. “But being here and helping fundraise has shown me I should try to contribute more. I’ll probably join PAC next year – it feels like something worth investing in.”

[Related: 2026 Dance Marathon holds vigil emphasizing importance of pediatric AIDS research]

People who come to Dance Marathon tend to come back, said Natalia Capote, one of the coalition’s entertainment co-directors and a third-year political science student. Capote added that the event educates the community in a fun way while also inspiring participants to promote the cause long after Dance Marathon ends. The opportunity to merge her love of the arts with philanthropy motivated her to join, she said.

“One of the speakers that came in (during the event’s vigil) – she was a Laurel Foundation child,” Capote added. “She went to the (foundation’s) camps. … Hearing her speak is so impactful.”

The funds raised at the event, she said, will directly aid children who will be able to attend Camp Laurel. Capote added that the camp educates attendees about reducing stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS, shares career advice and offers support services to families.

Evie Sanford, one of PAC’s co-directors of the family committee – which works directly with the Laurel Foundation – said she attended Dance Marathon during her first year at UCLA when the event was 19 hours long. Sanford, a fourth-year cognitive science student, added that seeing the event come together this year felt freeing.

“I know how hard it is to organize this event and the amount of effort that goes into it from every single committee,” Sanford said. “Seeing everything come together and go well has been an amazing feeling.”

As The Situations began its rendition of “Steal My Girl” by One Direction at 11:57 p.m. Saturday, colorful bandanas waved in the air as students wrapped their arms around one another. For a moment, the band stopped and allowed the audience to sing. Shouts of “encore” followed as the musicians called the crowd to join them on stage. An ensemble of pom poms and pajamas moved to Justin Bieber’s “Beauty And A Beat.”

The final morale dance of the event occurred at 12:06 a.m. A few minutes later, the audience drifted back to the floor where they took a seat as the lights dimmed. Stevie Nicks played throughout the ballroom as PAC projected an event recap video to Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.”

“When there’s a cure, we’ll dance for joy,” the video said in white script across a black background. “Until then, we dance for life.”

After 10 hours of costume changes, performances, games and dancing, the crowd sat in stillness as Meyers called the seniors on stage to announce the total and delivered the evening’s final speech.

“Today, I hope you all learned something new,” Meyers said. “I hope you have a new story to tell and feel a call to act.”