Finals prep, work and, of course, the pandemic have many Blugolds stressed and longing for a break this spring. 

The University Activities Commission is here to help with that by hosting Springfest through the end of April. 

The event series is hosted by the UAC’s  Festivals Committee and features various events throughout the week for students.  

Celebrating “the light at the end of the tunnel,” the Springfest website detailed the week as “just the relaxing diversion from tests and projects, offering live music sets, free food, yard games on the campus mall, therapy dogs and more.”

There are several events happening throughout April 25-May 1, which started on Saturday with track and field. On Tuesday, UAC members handed out ice cream sandwiches and stickers in front of Davies and Wednesday featured games of spike ball and chalk art on the campus mall.

Retta Isaacson, a fourth-year geology student and UAC festivals committee co-chair, said planning for this year’s Springfest has been a long journey, especially in coordinating around COVID-19. 

“We’ve been thinking about Springfest since Winter Carnival ended, so just one festival to the next,” Isaacson said. “It’s been a lot of paperwork because of the pandemic.”

The pandemic has made stress a lot higher and campus connections a lot lower, Isaacson said, but she hopes the week will be fun and relaxing for students trying to take a break. 

“Springfest is celebrating making it this far, growing together, getting the semester done,” Isaacson said. “Our theme this year is ‘Let Your Dreams Blossom,’ thinking about springtime.  Spring is a time of warmth and growth and we hope that it will be for students too.”

Isaacson said the events she most looks forward to are the free succulents and visits with therapy dogs on Thursday and making art with paint-filled balloons and darts on Saturday. The balloon art is inspired by the movie “The Princess Diaries,” which will be screened Friday and Saturday nights.

“It should be really messy, really fun — just going out with a bang,” Isaacson said. 

While Springfest always focuses on helping students relax during what might be the most stressful time of the year, Isaacson said, it felt more crucial this year. 

McKenna Podbrscek, a second-year psychology student, said that the semester has been particularly hard because of the online/in-person split in classes and all the difficulties that come with the pandemic on top of a normal workload.

“This semester has been very stressful,” Podbrscek said. “It’s hard to take time off because you don’t want to feel like you’re getting behind.” 

Springfest events will be good opportunities for campus connections, Podbrscek said, especially for first-year students who might not have had the same events and interactions that upperclassmen have. 

“My freshmen year, we got to have all those great events, and meet people and interact with people our age and take a break,” Podbrscek said. “I think it will be a great way for freshmen to reach out to other students, make those connections and get the traditional, normal college experience as much as possible.” 

Podbrscek, who lives off-campus, said that the events are exciting for upperclassmen and people who don’t live on campus.  

“It’s a good way to stay connected,” Podbrscek said. “Living off-campus, I definitely feel disconnected, so it’s a good way to get involved.”

The UAC will continue to host events throughout the week, including a concert from singer Ingrid Andress on Friday night.  

Springfest, overall, Isaacson said, is a chance to slow down, have fun and take a break.

“If you want to do something this week,” Isaacson said, “there’s plenty of stuff to do on campus to get involved. Or, if you just want to breathe — watch a virtual concert, that’s great too. There are options to do things. Just remind yourself that you’re part of this community.”

For more details on Springfest, visit their website here. 

DeLapp can be reached at [email protected].