Yardfest Closed to All Visiting Prefrosh

Unlike in previous years, all admitted students of the Class of 2021, including those who have to arrive early to Visitas, will be denied entry to Yardfest this year.

The College's Admissions Office previously allowed admitted students to attend Yardfest if pre-approved to attend Visitas—the College's visiting weekend for admitted students—for financial, religious, or medical reasons. Pre-approved students were allowed to pick up their temporary student ID cards early as well, which they could use to enter Yardfest.

This year, however, even students arriving early for approved reasons will not be permitted inside Tercentenary Theater for Yardfest, the College's annual outdoor concert.

Students gather in Tercentenary Theater for Yardfest in April 2014. By Shunella Grace Lumas

Yardfest will be held this Friday and headlined by electronic dance music DJ and producer Tiësto. Visitas, meanwhile, will officially start Saturday and run through Monday, April 24. Out of the 2,056 students accepted to Harvard this admissions cycle, more than 1,300 are expected to attend Visitas this weekend.

Caleb Spiegel Ostrom ’18, co-chair of the College Events Board, which organizes Yardfest, confirmed that no admitted students will be allowed at this year’s concert. Current College students are allowed to purchase tickets for guests over the age of 18 with a valid government-issued ID, but according to the CEB's website, “prefrosh are not allowed to attend Yardfest” even with a guest ticket.

Senior Admissions Officer, Director of Visitas, and former Crimson editor Timothy J. Smith ’08 said his office “works with admitted students who have extenuating circumstances which might require other accommodations,” but that “Yardfest is not part of the Visitas programming” and stressed that very few admitted students arrive before the official start date.