Springfest set to bring student body together

Photo courtesy CZR-E, Creative Commons

31 March 2016 ∙ Originally published in The Huntington News

This year’s Springfest, the annual week-long celebration hosted by the Council for University Programs (CUP), will bring music, comedy and festival-themed activities to campus.

“The way I see it, it’s a really fun way to bring the Northeastern community together,” Melissa Flaxman, the CUP Springfest concert chair, said. “It’s a way to create something that really celebrates Northeastern with a large event on campus.”

This year, the festivities kick off on April 2 with the Springfest concert at Matthews Arena, headlined by Chance the Rapper, with appearances by singer-songwriter Tove Lo and alternative rock group Bad Suns. The performers were selected based on the results of a student body-wide survey earlier in the year and arranged in a way that reflects Northeastern students’ different music tastes.

“The goal is to create a diverse show,” Flaxman says. “We have a very large student body with diverse interests, and the survey does reflect that very well. It really is about drawing the student body together. If someone is available at the top of our survey and within our budget, then we’re going to go for it.”

This multi-genre planning is a deliberate decision made by CUP, whose leaders hope students will benefit from being exposed to new performers and genres, regardless of their initial reason to attend the concert. 

“If you’re a big fan of the headliner, you’re going to go for the whole show,” Flaxman said. “You’re already there, so why not stay and experience a new artist that maybe you aren’t as familiar with?”

Flaxman said that Chance the Rapper proved “immensely popular” in the survey results, making him an easy fit for this year’s headliner.

“I’ve seen Chance perform before, and he puts on a really good show,” freshman undeclared student Wyatt Dandy said.

This year’s Springfest will also host comedians Ben Schwartz and H. Jon Benjamin, as well as a silent disco at afterHOURS and an outdoor carnival to close the festivities on Friday, April 8. While the carnival is a Springfest tradition, the idea for the silent disco came from Springfest Week Chair, Kaitlyn Labich, who attended one during her co-op in New York last semester and decided it fit this year’s festival theme.

“Springfest always has a different theme,” Amanda Hernandez, president of CUP, said. “Last year, the theme was the 90’s so we hosted a movie screening of Clueless and Good Burger. We always have an event apart from booking talent and thought the silent disco fit perfectly with the festival theme.”

Springfest’s scheduling near the end of the semester is also a conscious decision by CUP, who wish to provide students with a sort of stress relief and study break through campus entertainment.

“I’ve been hearing great feedback, which is really my goal,” Flaxman said. “It’s not about who I want to see personally, it’s about what the student body wants to see and about making them happy.”