PittPartyCentral.com

Nothing to do on a Friday or Saturday night?

Finding yourself out of the party loop?… Nothing to do on a Friday or Saturday night?

Finding yourself out of the party loop?

Well, thanks to sophomore Chris Chu, students need not worry anymore.

Chu created www.PittPartyCentral.com in the beginning of the fall semester to help college students who need to find something fun to do.

The Web site includes a place to list house parties, a list of bar specials and information about Pittsburgh nightclubs – complete with directions for those new to the city.

By including businesses and events outside of Oakland on his site, Chu hopes to reach out to college students and young adults throughout the city.

Since he began his project, Chu has been joined by Tamer Ali, Danny Zhu and Ron Watson. Counting the four of them and the street team they use to promote events, there are about 10 people on the staff.

“We just try to make the life of going out much simpler,” Chu said.

Not only does the Web site offer free advertising for house parties and clubs on the site, but it also contracts out DJs and provides prizes, including DVD players and bar kits, at clubs. The prizes are an incentive for students and other people to go out, especially now that it is getting cold outside, he said.

Since the site is still relatively new, Chu calls local places and asks the management if they would like some free advertising on his site. Then he visits the place to get a feel for it and to take pictures to put up on the site. After becoming familiar with the place, he writes a review to add to the site as well, and he asks the management if they would like to have a PittPartyCentral night.

The site also offers visitors coupons and various discounts to city bars and clubs.

As a freshman, Chu was surprised that a bar and party directory site similar to the one he eventually set up wasn’t already available.

“We’re not Penn State, where everything just circulates around,” he said.

Since creating the site, Chu has gotten feedback from people at many schools – including Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University and even a school in Louisiana – wanting similar sites to help create “a party community” at their schools.

“Our primary goal is to encourage more of a growth in the party community around here,” he said. “You come to school to learn, but you don’t learn everything in class. Be sure to have a good time out here.”

This Saturday, PittPartyCentral will be at Rumshakers in the South Side. The Web site’s DJs Nate Delong – aka DJ Detonate – and Sasan will be featured. There is a $2 surcharge.