As another year goes into the books and students prepare to disperse for the summer, various organizations gather to provide a proper send off.
This year a new tradition begins thanks to a few advertising majors whose sense of adventure has led them to create a festival from scratch.
Fort Sanders Fest began less than six weeks ago when Scott Soder, a senior in advertising, observed that his backyard was rife with party potential.
“I just looked at my backyard and thought this would be a great place for a music festival,” Soder said.
Following the conception of the idea, a viral marketing campaign followed. At the Dayglow show at the Valarium in March, a man with a ghetto blaster pumping Tone-Loc’s “Wild Thing” first drew people’s attention to the festival. In following weeks a series of videos, mimicking works of classic art, appeared on YouTube and Facebook and have since generated almost 10,000 views. On the event’s Facebook page more than 1,500 people have confirmed attendance, meeting the event’s official capacity.
Seeking to give the event a more official status than the many impromptu blockbusters which often occur in the Fort, Soder and fellow coordinator Paris Wade received a permit from the city for the event, attained sponsorship and have pledged to donate proceeds from the Fest to Nourish International, a charity organization which helps provide infrastructure to developing communities.
The goal of the festival, Wade said, is to embrace the spirit of the Fort in a legitimate manner.
“What we tried from the beginning was to set it up like a legal block party,” Wade, a senior in advertising, said.
Soder said that the event, which features more than 15 bands, will showcase local talent rarely seen outside the Fort Sanders area.
“A lot of these bands that are playing are people that play around the Fort at house parties, so it’s got more of a grassroots feel,” Soder said.
While the task of putting on a festival has initially put financial constraints on the planners, the practical experience of organizing the Fort Sanders Fest has been more like an internship for Soder and Wade. Right now the legacy of the Fest is impossible to see, but at this point Wade sees it as an experiment that will take on a life of its own after he leaves the university.
“There are events like this on other campuses, festivals and the like,” Wade said. “I’d like to see it go on, but I’m graduating and it’s up to the next class to see what they’ll do with it.”
Soder echoed this sentiment.
“I’d be a little disappointed if it didn’t become a tradition,” Soder said. “I don’t know if I’ll be planning it — it’s been a lot of work. It’s been a learning process; I’ve never done anything like this before.”
The Fort Sanders Fest begins this Saturday, April 28, at 2 p.m., and will take place on the block of 12th and Forest in the Fort Sanders neighborhood. Admission is $8.
