More than 1,800 graduate students attended the first annual “Grad Bash” Thursday night, said law student and event organizer Scott Mory.

The party, held at the downtown club The Ritz, was an opportunity for graduate students to socialize.

“This is my seventh year at GW and this was one of the best events I’ve ever been to,” Mory said. “Everyone had an amazing time. I was encouraged to see that there’s an interest in programming that goes across school lines.”

Mory, who is the president of the Student Bar Association, said graduate students felt many of the events on campus were primarily for undergraduates.

Student Association graduate Sen. Emily Cummins (CSAS) said the organizing committee plans to make the event an annual tradition that will take place the first Thursday of the spring semester.

“It’s a large challenge to organize an event that will appeal to everyone,” she said. “We are working to foster a community within the graduate schools.”

Robert Chernak, vice president of Student Academic and Support Services, budgeted $10,000 for the event, Cummins said.

Admission was free for graduate students with a GWorld card and age ID. Appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks also were provided free of charge.

“I would absolutely encourage more events like this,” said medical school student Abe Tello. “This was very well put together and a credit to the different school’s organizations who worked on it. It was just a really enjoyable time.”

SA graduate Sen. J.P. Blackford (SEAS) said he was surprised by the large turnout.

“The turnout shows the need for more graduate programming,” he said. “I’d like to see more networking events like this in the future. Grad students need to be kept in mind and reached out to when the school is planning events.”