Students celebrate at Spring Fest annual fling

Spring Fest 2024 celebrated a final fling before the last week of classes at Eastern Connecticut State University with activities ranging from puppy yoga to a carnival that drew more than 1,000 students.

"We had sit-down events, incorporated animals, touched on mental health awareness and maintained traditions like the Spring Fest carnival and fireworks," said Sadie Blackwell, special events coordinator for the Campus Activities Board (CAB), which collaborated with other campus partners on the festival. Events included trampoline jumping, karaoke, inflatables and jumbo bungee.

The theme this year, "CAB Spring Fest Wrapped," played on the "Spotify Wrapped" celebration of the year's defining songs.

The week began on April 22 with "Tune into Spring Fest," with live jazz from the "3 O'Clock Jazz Combo," a student group; Earth Day activities provided by Eastern's Office of Sustainability and music by John Rush. That led into a week of activities for students and a spring carnival Friday afternoon and evening. The spring concert on Sunday featured rap artist Waka Flocka Flame and guest A-GAME.

More than 200 students attended bingo on Thursday, and about 350 attended the fireworks along with community members. One of the highlights of Spring Fest was puppy yoga on the Webb lawn, featuring "doggy noses and yoga poses" with puppies borrowed for the occasion from a local animal rescue center.

Maggie Ritchie, the social media coordinator for CAB, called capturing the events to share on video "so fulfilling."

"It is so much fun to see everyone's excitement to come outside and participate in all of the events. We had great weather, and seeing the community come together is one of the most rewarding parts of the experience in my role on CAB," she said.