Springfest Sees Small Turnout

A steady drizzle fell on Saturday afternoon’s Springfest, and organizers of the Undergraduate Council (UC)-sponsored afterparty said they thought the inclement weather was to blame for the lower-than-expected turnout.

According to Harvard Concert Commission (HCC) Chair Jack P. McCambridge ’06, about 150 people attended the heavily-advertised afterparty in the Malkin Athletic Center Quad, which featured dollar drafts, free food, and live music.

The UC allocated a total of $20,000 for the afterparty, although UC President Matthew J. Glazer ’06 said at last night’s meeting that the UC will get $4,000 back because the bands had cost less than expected.

Glazer said at the meeting that he thought “weather was a deterrent” at the afterparty.

“The only thing that was unfortunate was that not enough people came, which is really too bad because it was a lot of fun,” Glazer said at the meeting. “I don’t understand how, [when] we throw a giant party with beer and bands in literally people’s backyards, why they wouldn’t come.”

The afterparty represented a new addition to Springfest specifically targeted at undergraduates.

While the event occurred during pre-frosh weekend, the afterparty was restricted to undergraduates to ensure the right to distribute alcohol to those with valid IDs, according to Lauren P. S. Epstein ’07, the chair of the UC’s Campus Life Committee (CLC).

“We had never intended to have it open to pre-frosh—that was part of the agreement with the Dean’s office,” Epstein said.

Springfest is organized each year by the UC, Harvard College, and the Office of University President Lawrence H. Summers, and is geared toward Harvard staff and their families as well as students.

Glazer said at last night’s meeting that attendance figures for the afternoon event were not available yesterday from the Harvard University Police Department.

He said Springfest “went off without a hitch,” but added that organizers had to close the stage early when rain began to fall mid-afternoon.

Epstein said both Springfest and the afterparty would have benefited from a contingency plan in case of rain, but that the CLC was unable to find an available indoor venue.

“Every single space on campus was booked for some pre-frosh event, either for the admission office or other events that student groups were throwing, and those were all booked very far in advance,” Epstein said.

McCambridge, who previously served as College Life Committee (CLC) chair, said the afterparty was enjoyable for those who attended despite the rain and cool weather.

“At other schools people would have been willing to stand out and brave the elements,” McCambridge said. “In my past experience with events, rain tends to drive Harvard students indoors.”

Epstein said that both the CLC and the Dean’s office would use lessons learned this year to improve Springfest in the future.

“The Dean’s office said that, despite the low attendance, they learned a lot about the logistics and how to work together,” Epstein said. “But next year I would say that planning should start earlier.”

The UC originally entered into negotiations with rapper Snoop Dogg for a concert following the afterparty, but the deal fell through when the security costs exceeded expectations.

Instead the HCC booked four lesser-known bands—the Half Nelsons, Tommy and the Tigers, Seeking Homer, and Toussaint and the China Band—to play at the afterparty.

Epstein said she hopes that in the future the UC can offer both ticketed big-name events and free music at the afterparty.

“If we can make both a concert and this type of afterparty happen next year, that would be great,” she said.

—Liz C. Goodwin and Aria S.K. Laskin contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Joshua P. Rogers can be reached at jprogers@fas.harvard.edu.