Last Sunday, the grounds between Student Union and Founder’s Plaza were flooded by food trucks, inflatable bouncers, petting zoo animals and more. These carnivalesque activities comprised Bullsapalooza: a campus-wide celebration hosted by the Student Association (SA).
Students, families and community members participated in attractions from 3-7 p.m. Aside from activities, attendees watched performances by Empire State Wrestling, Mentalist Dustin Dean, The Great Dubois and student-run groups.
The variety of activities and performances made Bullsapalooza different from other SA events. Options set up throughout the campus allowed attendees to find something well-suited for their participation.
“I haven't been to one of these in a while. There aren’t many events like this on campus,” said graduate computer science student Tyler D’Angelo. “I like the atmosphere… I’m a big fan of the mini golf.”
Many students were surprised by the offering of “Untapped,” a beer-tasting experience that showcased local breweries. After validating their legal drinking age, students sampled five of 12 brews. A variety of ales, sours, lagers and ciders were available. Several attendees cited Untapped as their favorite activity of the sunny day.
“It’s a nice change of pace for being on campus. Especially, when you associate being on campus with class. The brews are pretty good so far,” said senior communication major Noah Sinclair.
The event wrapped up after Zeddy Will, a hip-hop artist and TikToker, performed on the Furnas lot’s main stage. Although a musician closed the night, many students felt letdown by Bullsapalooza’s replacement of Fest, a semesterly concert event that has hosted artists since 1978.
“It sucks that we didn’t have Spring Fest this year, but at least they gave us this,” said sophomore biological sciences major Pauline Lopez.
While many felt a lingering disappointment throughout the event, some argue that Bullsapalooza allowed for more involvement from the student body.
Although a wide variety of activities kept attendees busy, some felt that long lines and disorganization prevented them from experiencing most of Bullsapalooza.
“I thought it was fun, but by the time we got here, most of the stuff was already closed,” said junior graphic design major Ben Streeter. “It was almost 4 p.m., so we weren’t expecting it to be already crazy.”
Although many would have preferred Fest, Bullzapalooza allowed students to find something they liked and take in an afternoon of nice weather, free activities and tasty food. Its sentiment provided an opportunity for students to make memories with friends and enjoy different activities than they are used to on campus.
“I feel like if they just had the Spring Fest artists, that’s just not for everyone. This is for everyone,” senior civil engineering major Jackson Ordway said. “It feels really inclusive.”
Editor's Note: The previous version of this article listed Julianna Schuler as an author. Schuler just contributed to the reporting. The Spectrum apologizes for this error.
Julianna Schuler contributed to the reporting of this article.
Haley DiMisa is the assistant features editor and can be reached at haley.dimisa@ubspectrum.com
