Every spring, DePaul students look forward to the largest annual event on campus: FEST. This concert, put together by the DePaul Activities Board, features some of the hottest musical acts in the industry, and students get to hear them in person.

This year students are privy to the intricate workings of those planning the event. FEST Coordinator Rachel Lafranconi and Music Coordinator Liz Palermo contribute to a blog called Racket Soup, which sheds light on the student programming process.

“We really wanted to show students that the planning process begins as soon as we are elected into our positions the previous year,” Lafranconi said, “and we put our blood, sweat and many, many tears into it.”

The aim of the blog is to not only keep students up to date with what’s going on with FEST, but to remind them that their peers are coordinating this concert, not “an elite group in an ivory tower,” as Lafranconi phrases it.

Any time Palermo or Lafranconi have time or feel inspired, a blog post pertaining to FEST gets posted.

For FEST 2011, Lafranconi told The DePaulia that DAB was able to secure acts on the original survey, and honored requests for After Hours, the post concert show held in the SAC. She is ecstatic about this development, because DAB cannot always book who students request.

Students are invited to the Big Reveal on May 4 from 5-7 p.m. in the Student Center. DAB will announce this year’s line up at this event. There will be games, prizes and giveaways – Lafranconi said not to miss out.

DAB is also hosting a video contest, where students can submit their filmed guess of who the headliner and/or opening act will be. The first person to guess correctly will get two free tickets to FEST. Submissions can be emailed to [email protected].

FEST 2011 will take place on Friday, May 27, from 5-10 p.m. on the DePaul University Quad, weather permitting.