May the 4th be with you: Revelry premieres as UW-Madison’s first music and arts festival
By Francesca Bonifacio
Brooklyn-based artist, Hoodie Allen, works the crowd at UW-Madison’s first music and arts festival, Revelry.
Photos by Francesca Bonifacio
Cue the foam machines. Bring out the jumbo chalk. Slap on a wristband. Now turn up the music.
Welcome to Revelry.
For the first time in UW-Madison’s extensive history, a group of dedicated students gave a bombastic edge to the meaning of an end-of-year celebration by establishing what could very well be the university’s newest longstanding tradition.
Held on May 4th, Revelry was born when Union President Sarah Mathews joked about how British pop sensation, One Direction, should come perform on campus. Instead of vanishing with the ensuing laughter, the joke segued into a genuine discussion about creating UW-Madison’s first open-air spring music and arts festival.
Emily Connor, content editor and marketer for Revelry said when envisioning the festival, the planning committee strove to create an event where students could enjoy live music in a safe and relaxed setting. The atmosphere was inspired by bigger music festivals like Coachella and even Northwestern University’s own Dillo Day.
“We wanted it to be a place for all students to see and choose to stay as little or long as they wanted,” said Emily. “Overall, we wanted to create a fun music and arts festival that students would want to come to again next year.”
After receiving administrative support and help from staff advisors and various sponsors, this student-led event boasted both local acts like PHOX and CRASHprez and nationally-recognized ones like Delta Spirit and Toro y Moi, all performing across two separate stages – one outdoors and one housed inside The Sett at Union South – and a DJ Booth.
Revelry attendees share the things they long for most via the “Before I Die…” interactive art installation.
Photo by Francesca Bonifacio
Revelers even brought the famous “Before I Die…” interactive art installation to Union South’s backyard, inviting festival-goers to express their most deep-seated wishes in colorful chalk. Nearby were tables adorned with fluorescent paints and small-bristled brushes for face painting, as well as tubes of dye used for henna. Just a few steps away were the DJ Booth and giant machines churning out bubbles for an outdoor foam party. And don’t forget about food carts to crush hunger pangs, along with beer served to those 21 and up.
As with most first-time ventures, there are bound to be a few snags to comb through along the way. Revelry was essentially built from the ground up, challenging the planning committee to employ creative tactics to garner attention from the UW community and get the student body excited for Revelry’s premiere.
“From a marketing perspective, at first it was a challenge trying to get the word out,” said Emily. “We had no past experiences, videos, images or anything to share with our audience. We only had the vision of what it would be, so we had to make people see it in their minds as well.”
The date set for the event also incited complaints from those worried about the festival’s impact on the annual Mifflin Street Block Party, which began in 1969 and has since been held on the first Saturday of May (which fell on the same day as Revelry).
In a statement released in April, the Madison Police Department declared it would not be sanctioning the 2013 Mifflin Street Block Party due to widespread safety concerns following events that occurred at student parties in years past.
In an interview with The Badger Herald, Officer Matthew Magolan cited Revelry as a potential alternative to, and ultimately a replacement for, Mifflin, in the hopes of making the community safer. This comment in particular invited a wave of criticism and attacks on the Revelry committee and its supporters, who were accused of trying to replace the iconic Mifflin tradition.
In response, however, Revelry Executive Committee Chair Sarah Mathews released a statement emphasizing the importance of choice and assuring Mifflin-supporters that the Revelry committee was just as disapproving of this policy shift as pro-Mifflin students were.
Students aren’t afraid to dive right in at the foam party in between sets.
Photo by Francesca Bonifacio
“UW students are fiercely independent and don’t take kindly to having their social lives dictated, whether it’s a chant at a football game, or their end of year celebrations,” said Sarah. “This decision by the Madison Police Department is, in our opinion, counterproductive to everything we have been trying to build. It is our view that Badgers should have the freedom to decide how they want to celebrate the end of the year, be it at Mifflin St., Revelry, or none of the above.”
But the controversy blew over, and more than 3,000 people attended, filling over 80 per cent of the venue capacity, a numerical testament to the event’s success. Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive despite initial criticisms from administration and students during the planning process.
“If I had to describe Revelry in one word, it would be ‘underrated,’” said Anika Abid, a rising senior at UW-Madison. “Face painting, Chance the Rapper, and foam machines? It was more like a giant party than just a music festival. I liked that we were actually able to do things and enjoy live music all at once.”
In an interview with The Daily Cardinal, Revelry Public Relations Coordinator Bess Donoghue said planning for Revelry 2014 will begin this summer, though details of location and size have yet to be determined as the planning committee awaits participation from sponsors.
“With adequate funding and planning, Revelry will hopefully be a staple event in the years going forward,” said Emily. “I would love to see the festival get even bigger and better than it was this year. Badgers know how to party, and it’s time we had an end-of-the-year music festival tradition to show the world how fun and innovative this campus really is.”
Get a taste of what it was like to revel with the crowd by viewing this slideshow on Flickr.
If you’re interested in seeing what Revelry looked like to the social media community, click here and enjoy what others said and saw firsthand on sites like Twitter and Instagram via Storify.
