After months of planning and a few untimely location changes, WHRW’s Moefest took place on Friday in the Old Dickinson Lot. And while the headliner, Wet, was forced to move inside because of rain, the event was a success.
In the days before the event, Moefest’s location was changed because of the Mainstage production of “Hamlet,” as well as a University policy that bans the occurrence of loud on-campus events before 5:30 p.m. This change elicited a request from Gaffney Productions, the company that provided the stage, to change the location again, to a more rain-friendly location.
Anthony Sileo, WHRW’s alumni relations director and a senior majoring in psychology, originally feared that these changes could affect the number of people in attendance.
“We were really nervous because we were moved to a smaller venue, but we [had] a very large turnout.” Sileo said. “The venue change really didn’t hinder our enjoyment or our success at this event.”
The event had a festival-like atmosphere and various student groups tabled, providing amenities such as henna from WHRW, vegan pizza from the Food Co-op and hula hooping from the Hoop Troop.
Arielle Cravatta, president of the Hoop Troop and a senior majoring in psychology, thinks that her club’s presence at Moefest is important.
“Since what we do is very visual and free-flowing, we believe our presence is key at an event like this,” Cravatta said. “We know how to have a good time and I think in this stressful environment it’s great to have a group like ours to show students how to chill and enjoy the present moment.”
After a few technical difficulties, student bands Winter Olympics and Roman Love took the stage. This was followed by a set from Paola Diaz, a senior majoring in psychology, also known as DJ Paola Bear. She was followed by the band LED Effect.
Over the course of the evening, light rain turned into a downpour, which added to the carefree atmosphere. Under a sea of umbrellas, students like Valois Feneziani, a junior majoring in nursing, embraced the rain and danced the night away.
“It’s raining cats and dogs, but we’re fine,” Feneziani said. “I don’t care, I don’t have a raincoat or anything, but I’m fine.”
Porches played five songs, building up the excitement for Wet. Fans like Sharon Elkouby, an undeclared freshman, were very excited to for the group to go on.
“I started listening to Wet in January and I’ve been really into them since then,” Elkouby said.
Things seemed to go downhill when it was announced that Wet was no longer performing because of the rain. However, Carly Klein, WHRW’s music director and a junior double-majoring in English and psychology, clarified that, despite what everyone thought, Wet had agreed to play rain or shine — performing an acoustic set in Old Whitney.
Amidst all of the change and rain, the night ended well.
“This Moefest was the best yet, never had we had such a talented, stacked lineup,” Klein said. “We had such a great turnout throughout the day. I even think the rain added to the event. There is something about dancing in the rain, seeing one of your favorite bands perform — it just makes you feel alive.”