Every spring, students look forward to the start of fest season in April. Palmer, Mill, High, Congo – every weekend there’s a reason to celebrate the fact that the semester’s almost over. Fest season is part of both Athens’ and OU’s identities, but not many of us know the real history behind how it came to be the student-sponsored season it is today.
The First Fests Were Sponsored by OU
Ohio University is actually responsible for packing the first snowball that developed into what is now a nationally-known college party season. In the ‘60s, OU would host concerts in the spring at the intramural fields off Mill Street to celebrate the return of warm, sunny days. They were eventually deemed as Springfests, and by the ‘80s, the parties attracted so many students they booked national music acts.
This is how party culture took over Mill Street and Palmer, as, by the ‘80s, the parties had gotten so big that Mill and Palmer started hosting their own fests. Apartments on High Street also started hosting fests, and OU began hosting smaller fests on campus greens, too.
Drinking Age & the New Fest Season
When the drinking age changed in the ‘80s, OU cracked down on alcohol-related things, no longer sponsoring 300-something kegs of beer at Springfest concerts. Obviously, that made students less-inclined to go… because alcohol.
By the early ‘90s, Athens had totally transferred to street fests. Palmer was the first fully-organized street fest, followed by High and then Congo. Ohio University’s Springfests were officially dead. Fest season was now run by unofficial committees of students living in college rentals.
Back in the day, the rental houses on Palmer were all connected in the backyards, which created a big, open space to party, as well as to host concerts. Today, it’s porch parties and front yards that turn into mud pits, but the ever-encroaching housing developments certainly haven’t stopped students from crowding together for the annual street fests.
The Birth of Numbers Fest
We can’t talk about Athens’ fests without talking about Numbers Fest (#Fest). Named the biggest college party in the country, this is the adult version of all those times in high school your parents thought you were staying with a friend when really you were drinking and partying in a random field somewhere.
The first #Fest was in 2004, and it’s always held a few minutes outside of Athens in – you guessed it – a random field. #Fest is poppin every year, with headliners like Migos, Lil Yachty, G-Eazy, Blackbear, and tonnes of other huge stars drawing thousands of people from all over the state. Kendrick Lamar actually performed at #Fest before he became the musical giant he is today.
A Cacophony of Parties: Springtime at OU
Now, fest season is done cooperatively between a student event organization called Brick Life, the university, and the local Athens police. It’s all about getting wild without getting burn-the-couch-on-the-porch insane. Wait – that was HallOUween…
The point is, fest season is a super-fun few weeks where students get to get outside, enjoy the weather, and party hard, and this spring will be no different. It’s something everyone at OU should try at least once during their time in Athens.
Let’s all remember to act right, though. Amped is cute – sloppy is not.