After the post-Spring Break haze began to clear, the University of Tulsa welcomed one of the most highly anticipated weeks of the semester. Springfest 2016 kicks off this week with the heroic promise of keeping finals stress at bay for a few more days. Last Monday, the Student Association held a theme reveal party that “unmasked” the theme: superheroes.
“I thought of the superheroes theme in April of last year,” said the Student Association’s Executive Director of Springfest, Haley Anderson. “Once the idea popped into my head everything seemed to fall into place. I think that the best thing about the theme is that everyone can relate to it. I would say that most people have seen at least one superhero movie, or have heard of them. I think that a broad theme such as this is the best direction to go in because it’s something everyone can get excited about.”
Anderson stated that the theme allowed a lot of room for creativity in planning interesting and engaging events for each day of the week.
“From the beginning, I knew I wanted to focus each day on a specific theme within the overarching theme of ‘Super Springfest.’ So when we started to break down each day, we came up the theme days: Marvel Monday, the Dark Knight, Up up and a Wednesday, Comic Carnival, and Fantastic Friday.”
Each day of Springfest brings a different set of activities. Monday’s “Marvel Monday” involves games and food on Chapman Commons from 5-8 p.m. “The Dark Knight” on Chapman Commons, Tuesday from 7-10 p.m., will be a screening of the film “The Dark Knight,” accompanied by blanket giveaways and food. “Up, Up and a Wednesday” will feature activities including a zip line and food from Josh’s Sno Shack, Wing Stop, and others from 5-8 p.m. on Chapman Commons. Thursday will have a “Comic-Carnival” from 5-8 p.m. on Chapman Commons, featuring carnival games and even a costume contest for the chance to meet the Springfest concert artists. “Fantastic Friday” will be a two-part event, with Part One: Be Someone’s Hero at Kendall Whittier, and Part Two: Saving the World Service Fair 6-8 p.m. on Chapman Commons. This day will involve a multitude of service-oriented activities.
The Springfest concert will be Tuesday, April 4. Anderson and her team put a lot of effort into finding bands that students would want to see, and creating a lineup with multiple artists, something which hasn’t been done in several years.
“One thing that I wanted to ensure with this year’s band selection was that all of the options listed on the survey were available and affordable,” Anderson stated. “In the past, students have been disappointed because their first choice was an unrealistic option to bring to campus. Early in the fall semester my committee compiled a huge list of potential artists from various genres for our booking agent to look into. After narrowing the list, we sent out an all school email with a survey link, and after one week of voting the results showed Misterwives as the clear favorite.”
With Springfest kicking off, Anderson stated that she hopes it proves to be an enjoyable event for the campus.
“I know how much everyone looks forward to Springfest, and my committee is working hard to deliver a week that lives up to everyone’s expectations. It will be a great way to end the year and give everyone a fun break before the stress of finals hits.”
