Spring 2018 headliner really Staples Lawnparties together

Under an overcast sky, Undergraduate Student Government hosted the spring 2018 Lawnparties on Prospect Avenue this Sunday, May 6.

The day’s activities began at 10 a.m., with students lining up to receive event wristbands at 1879 Arch and take pictures with one another at the Fountain of Freedom.

“I think it was a really good time,” Alex Serna Castillon ’21 said. “I think this is one of the few times of the year where you can forget about your stresses and all the things you have to do.”

Student performer Russell Kim ’20, whose stage name is DJ Vod Van Cran, kicked off the day of musical performances at 11 a.m., performing on the lawn of the Bendheim Center for Finance.

Doors opened for the main show at 2:30 p.m. The headliner for the event, rapper Vince Staples, performed at Quadrangle Club.

DJ BBowl, the stage name of Brendan Bowling ’18, opened for Staples.

“The turnout to Lawnparties was great,” Tori Gorton ’21 said. “Everyone I knew had a really great time, and Vince Staples was amazing.”

Other musical acts of the day, hosted by various eating clubs, included Evan Lee and Oliver at Tiger Inn; White Wedding, an ’80s cover band, at Cottage Club; Original Peaches, Future Generations, and Beshken at Terrace Club; Relley Rozay at Cannon Dial Elm Club; Shwayze at Cap & Gown Club; Lawrence at Ivy Club; Audien at Colonial Club; Michael Carsley at Cloister Inn; and Phoebe Ryan at Tower Club.

Various vendors, from Nomad Pizza to Rita’s Italian Ice and Taco Bell, lined the street providing free food. Large crowds of students were more than happy to partake.

“It was a lot of fun,” Mia Rosini ’21 said. “Everyone was there dancing.”

Despite the mayhem of Lawnparties, Orange Key Tours still took place, and visitors on campus were present to see the activities of the day. Paige Allen ’21 and Mallory Williamson ’21 were the two tour guides on shift for the morning.

Allen is a staff copy editor for The Daily Princetonian, and Williamson is staff writer for the ‘Prince.’

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“The first thing I started with was, ‘I bet you’re wondering what the heck is happening on campus today,’” Allen said. “I was surprised at how receptive they were. I’ve had some interesting experiences giving tours on Sunday Funday, but I think since Lawnparties are more structured and everybody looks nice, it actually made the tour group excited.”

Guiding the tour groups around during Lawnparties turned out to be a little more logistically difficult than usual.

“We start at Frist every weekend, so as soon as we came out there were students everywhere,” Williamson said. “Getting my tour group around all of the people was insane.”

Allen said the tour group did have some questions about drinking on campus, but their reactions to seeing Lawnparties were mostly positive.

“Every time I give a tour, someone asks me if we actually have fun at Princeton,” Williamson said. “No one asked me that today.”

Several freshmen interviewed by the ‘Prince’ said they enjoyed the spring Lawnparties far more than the event in the fall, because they had since made more friends and gotten a better hold on the University’s social scene.

“The first Lawnparties are right after OA, and I just knew my OA group and my ’zee group, basically,” Rosini said. “It was a little more stressful the first time, but this time was a lot more fun.”

For many, from first-years to seniors, the high turnout at Lawnparties meant getting to see people from class, from clubs, and all facets of campus life coming together.

“Spring Lawnparties are a little bit better than the fall, because by the spring parties you’ve made friends and you’re able to interact with people no matter where you go,” said Serna. “I think that’s one of the best parts.”