Last Thursday’s fireworks kicked off this year’s Greek mythology-themed Spring Fair festivities.
“The turnout was great,” senior Morgan Byce, Executive Co-chair of Spring Fair, said. “Over 20,000 people came to campus this year.”
Profits for the weekend are not yet calculated, but each year’s aim is to break even.
The Beer Garden was more popular and profitable than ever. Over the course of the weekend, various local bands played at the Beer Garden, where different tables were run by an array of student groups. Each tent sold a different beverage, ranging from Coors Light to Angry Orchard Crisp Apple to Flying Dog Pale Ale.
According to senior Harrison Johnson, the Beer Garden broke a record of over $20,000 on Saturday alone. Last year, it yielded a total of $30,000 for the whole weekend.
“Over 3,000 people attended the Beer Garden on Saturday,” Byce said. “The bouncers kept running out of wristbands.”
This year, the schedule of events was also made available on a downloadable mobile application for easier accessibility.
Friday evening, 700 students attended a concert in the Recreation Center headlined by Grouplove and opened by Carolina Liar.
On Saturday, a chariot race sponsored by Red Bull was held in which campus organizations built and raced their own chariots.
Spring Fair attendees were also able to try a wide variety of food from over two dozen vendors that set up shop on the Freshman Quad. Attendees enjoyed fair fare ranging from fried Oreos to crab cakes to artisanal sodas.
The Kids Section, which was located in front of Gilman Hall on the Upper Quad, featured various games, activities, crafts and performers. Byce noted that the Kids Section was packed with families the entire weekend.
Also on the Upper Quad was the Annual Spring Fair Arts and Crafts show, which welcomed vendors from the area. A variety of goods were sold, including custom-made jewelry, colorful handmade clothing and works of fine art.
Overall, the Spring Fair Committee felt that the weekend was a great success.
“We really lucked out,” senior Akif Saifi, Executive Co-Chair of the Spring Fair Committee, wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “We had three days of nice weather, and that certainly helped.”
