Bonnaroo and Firefly may be a bit out of your price range, but don’t give up on your music festival dreams just yet.
Manchester Orchestra, The Mowgli’s, Vacationer and MisterWives will play Greene Street next week, free of charge to students – and the university – as part of the Sperry Top-sider Vacationland event.
The free promotional event will bring four bands and $4,000 worth of merchandise giveaways to campus Thursday, March 27. And Carolina Productions will not be shelling out tens of thousands of dollars to bring the entertainment to campus.
“It’s completely free,” said Connor Baade, CP concert coordinator. “We’re changing what concerts have been in the past.”
The event will fill up Greene Street with a cabana-style stage and a tent for the musical guests, as well as photo booths and areas for croquet and frisbee.
“It’s going to be like Spurs and Struts to the extreme, which is awesome because how often do you get to see that?” Baade said.
This is the first music festival-esque event Carolina Productions has brought to campus, which CP President Adam Mayer said the organization is particularly excited about.
“Changing up the different kind of events we have is key to the success of the university and our organization as a whole,” Mayer said.
And this time, instead of waiting outside the Koger Center for the show to start, the acts will be steps away from the classroom.
“We’re really excited to bring a festival-type atmosphere to the heart of campus,” Baade said.
Additionally, Carolina Productions’ annual spring concert is planned for April 17 at the Koger Center, according to Mayer. Two acts will perform at the concert, but the contracts have not been finalized. Mayer said he hopes to announce the names of the artists sometime next week.
Though artists are unknown, the show’s genre will be pop-rock, Mayer said, which was decided after CP considered the artists’ availability, pricing and student feedback.
“When students talk, we listen,” Mayer said.
After hitting USC next Thursday, the Vacationland tour will continue on to Clemson University on April 1, the University of Tennessee on April 5 and Wake Forest University on April 8.
Last year, the tour stopped at six schools on the west coast. And after a snowy winter and a chilly spring break, Samantha Wheatley, CP Vice President of Media Relations, said she hopes the weather will brighten up for the event.
“Maybe they’ll bring the sun with them,” Wheatley said.