By Hannah Massey
Hundreds of students gathered on McKeldin Mall Friday, April 5, to commemorate Spring Fest, an annual celebration hosted by Student Entertainment Events.
Formerly known as Art Attack Day, Spring Fest is an arts and cultural festival that helps promote the spring concert event, Art Attack. The event showcased an array of student performances, vendor tables and engaging activities. The four hour festival featured 10 acts and 13 vendors.
“It’s amazing to see all these creations and creative merchandise that students have been able to create, show off, sell,” said Gonzalo Martinez, performing arts director for SEE.
Martinez, a freshman business management major, noted the event’s focus on showcasing handcrafted and original works by students. According to Martinez, when selecting the vendors at the event, the team “prioritized hand crafted and original creations from the students.”
Mearea Kennedy, a junior criminal justice major and owner of Mearacat Art, said she appreciated the encouragement from fellow students.
“It’s so refreshing to see other students support you because of this event,” Kennedy said. She has been operating her business for two years and sells resin jewelry, paintings and crocheted clothing. She reported record sales during Friday’s event.
Brian Chen, founder of Terp Lions, performed with his club members at the event. Chen, a sophomore fire protection engineering major, created the group to introduce the traditional Chinese lion dance to the university.
Chen emphasized the festival’s role in enhancing the group’s visibility.
“We want to get our name out there,” Chen said, “this is a great opportunity to advertise and get our word out there.”
Crystal Yee, a junior accounting and marketing major, performed with Terp Lions and emphasized how imperative this event was for showcasing her culture.
“It was important for us to perform today, not only for Asian organizations, but also for the entire campus,” Yee said. “Sharing this part of my culture is very fun and important, I just want it to be something that everyone knows about and can enjoy.”
Featured Image: The Terp Lions perform a traditional Chinese lion dance at Spring Fest. Photo by Hannah Massey