The Students’ Association is partnering with the Student Alumni Association to organize SpringFest, a concert and carnival event Saturday evening on the Faubus Lawn next to the Hunter Welcome Center.
The event will feature nine concerts, eight of which will be performed by ACU students, beginning at 5 p.m. The headlining band, Loftland, will begin playing at 8 p.m. until the entire event ends around 9 p.m.
The carnival will feature a petting zoo, carnival games with prizes, a mechanical bull and four-man bungee jump will also be available free of charge. The Wildcat Grill will provide food, which can be purchased with Bean Bucks. The Cajun Cones trailer will be selling snow cones at the carnival as well.
Julianne Hart, senior political science major from Austin and vice president of SA, has been working with SAA to make the event special. She said SpringFest is actually a combination of the two groups’ ideas for a big post-spring break event.
“SA was looking for a date that we could put on a carnival-like event, and SAA wanted to put on a spring concert like the Homecoming concert, JamFest,” Hart said. “We found out what they were trying to do and decided to put the two together to make one really big event.”
Hart said the large amount of events during Homecoming weekend made it hard for students to go to JamFest, and the carnival during Homecoming is usually geared more toward children of alumni. She said having two of the more fun Homecoming events, and making them more focused on students, in one night during the spring semester will give students a chance to attend something they may have missed out on last semester.
“The concerts were so popular with students during Homecoming, but so many more are too busy to go,” she said. “Last fall, Katherine Handy, our secretary, came up with the idea of a carnival for students. Both groups were planning these events for spring, and we decided to combine them for a really fun event.”
Hart said SpringFest isn’t intended to replace last year’s Post Break Jam.
“The Campus Activities Board worked with the Inter-Social Club Council last year to create Post Break Jam, and SA donated some money to that,” she said. “SpringFest isn’t the only reason why they didn’t put together another one this year.”
Pierce Hardin, freshman psychology major from Lubbock, will perform in SpringFest as part of Elle et Moi, beginning at about 6:20 p.m. He said SpringFest will give him a chance to have a good time playing on stage.
“I am really looking forward to being able to play music,” Hardin said. “It’s what I love to do and definitely something God has blessed me with so I enjoy sharing the gifts God gave me.”
Hardin played in JamFest last semester, but he’ll be bringing a new addition to his performance.
“This time will be different than JamFest because I’m singing a few songs with my girlfriend, Annique Dentino,” Hardin said. “I’m super excited about that.”
