Despite an ominously snowy start to the day, WHRW 90.5 FM’s annual Moefest drew an energetic crowd with two headlining acts and an evening of food, crafts and activities.
Saturday evening, a stage and tables were set up on the grass and pavement outside Classroom Wing. Live music started at 5 p.m. with student DJs Buzi, Ora Z and Roni as well as student band natural born kissers. While the event started late and some student acts had to be cut from the bill because of inclement weather, a sizable audience gathered within a few hours as attendees danced to the DJ sets and crowded together in anticipation of the headliners.
Throughout the evening, attendees could visit tables from student organizations like Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions (IDEAS), Binghamton Production and Mixing, Frances Beal Society and College Progressives. WHRW provided a free vegetarian hot dog stand, cotton candy machine and tie-dye station, and other student groups brought glitter, face paint, free Yerba Mate and more. Triple Cities Vintage, a local vintage clothing company, set up racks of clothing in Lecture Hall for attendees to browse and purchase.
Sari Richards, a freshman double-majoring in English and philosophy, politics and law, said the activities offered throughout the evening were engaging.
“I like the whole craft feel,” she said. “I always want to have parties and add crafting stations to them because that’s what people want to do, and that’s what this is like.”
The headliners took the stage as the sun began to set, and the crowd became more energetic as the night went on. Last year’s Moefest was headlined by indie-pop outfit Jay Som. This year, the concert featured hip-hop and soul duo OSHUN and hip-hop trio Injury Reserve. In sharp contrast with Jay Som’s laid-back performance last year, Injury Reserve’s set saw audience members moshing, crowd-surfing and climbing onto the speakers and stage.
Liz Nutig, a sophomore majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said she appreciated both the relaxed, positive vibes of OSHUN and the intensity of Injury Reserve.
“In the beginning it was colorful and happy and then at the end the energy was really powerful,” she said. “I liked all of it.”
Nutig added that she was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who came out despite the weather.
“I feel like despite the weather, people showed up,” she said. “I thought it was going to be sad and snowy, but it was exciting and wonderful. I’ve never moshed that much in my life.”
Taylor Mileski, general manager of WHRW and a senior double-majoring in sociology and art and design, wrote in an email that she was happy with the turnout of the event.
“Despite weather-related setbacks, we were able to pull off an event that we are proud of,” she wrote. “The crowd responded really well to our new direction in regards to the genre of main musical guests. We hope that next year will be even bigger, better and more diverse. I’m excited to see what comes next.”