A year ago this weekend, DePaul’s Quad buzzed with tents, political art and passionate student-demonstrators. This past Friday, it told a very different story — as powerful winds hit the city just as FEST was about to begin.
DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus traded its usual calm for a high-energy crowd Friday night as FEST, the annual music festival organized by the DePaul Activities Board (DAB), returned to campus.
After checking in near the McGowan buildings Friday evening, students hurried to the barricades for a close-up view of the action. The bustling Quad was filled with tents offering food, face painting and custom airbrushed hats. Around the perimeter of the Schmitt Academic Center, lines formed at the port-a-potties as students touched up their makeup and adjusted their outfits before joining the crowd.
The annual music festival, a staple of the DePaul student experience since 1986, returned to campus after being cancelled due to a stalemate between the university and pro-Palestinian protestors last spring.
On April 30, DePaul Activities Board announced at their Sounds of Sheffield event that Artist Julius Dubose, known professionally as A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, and opener Baby Tate would be stopping in Lincoln Park for the one-night festival. With a high-profile lineup, the concert’s return was highly anticipated among DePaul’s student body.
Sophomore Valeria Estela said she and her friends were “way more excited this year than last.” The improved artist lineup, she said, is what drew her in this time.
“I heard A Boogie was coming and told my roommates, ‘Yeah, let’s go!’” Estela said.
DePaul students could register for $5 and were permitted one non-student ticket for an increased price. FEST sold more than 2,000 tickets according to Aiden O’Neal, the concerts chair at DAB. But after the last-minute cancellation, those plans — and the anticipation — were cut short.
The concert took a turn after A Boogie Wit da Hoodie cancelled just 90 minutes before his set due to air traffic delays. As if that weren’t enough, a dust storm warning — the first ever issued in the city of Chicago proper — flashed across attendee’s phones around 6:25 p.m. Wind gusts blew flyers and chip bags across the Quad as students began to leave the area.
While volunteers worked to secure the iconic balloon arch, DAB staff hurried to usher students inside the Schmitt Academic Center. The Quad was clear in minutes.
Still, for a brief window, FEST delivered on its promise.
Before the night unraveled, Patrick Diakite and Kayliah Motes — both juniors and members of DePaul’s track and field team — energized the Quad with an upbeat opening set, setting the stage for what was expected to be a great night of live music.
Diakite, who is from Chicago’s West side, was excited to take a stage of this size.
“This is probably the biggest, most put-together show of my life,” Diakite said before his set.
But as news of the dust storm began to spread, the festival quickly came to a halt.
Around 8:30 p.m., the university posted an update on Instagram announcing that Atlanta rapper Baby Tate, originally scheduled as the opener, would instead headline a performance in the Student Center as part of After Hours — FEST’s neon-themed afterparty.
Baby Tate performed to a modest crowd at around 10 p.m., salvaging a portion of the night.
FEST ticket holders were notified that they would receive a full refund by the DePaul Activities Board.
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