Rides, food and live music at Student Activities final campus event – The After Party

“Commencement is happening in a few weeks, and even before that, three-quarters of the students leave,” Cort Comfort, director of Student Activities, said. “We wanted to make an event for students where everyone, especially the seniors, can just hang out with their friends as a way to end their year in a great way.”

Warm and sunny weather encouraged people to turn out for the After Party, which began at 5 p.m. The event lasted until 10:30 p.m. as thousands of students came and went as their schedules permitted.

The After Party, the equivalent of the Block Party held at the beginning of the year, allowed students the chance to interact with people they have never met or rarely saw. 

The air was filled with laughter and shouts of fun from attendees, creating a warm atmosphere. 

Students had their choice of food from the many vendors, including Domino’s and Rookie’s, and traditional carnival food, like popcorn and funnel cakes. Student Activities partnered with Serve Lynchburg, so any student who served earlier in the day with Serve Lynchburg would be able to receive free food from any vendor of their choice.

Rides included a Ferris wheel, bungee jumping, the Mind Winder and bounce houses. Students smiled and laughed through rides with friends as they enjoyed one of their last times hanging out together for the year. 

Throughout the event, students were never without music, with several live artists as well as prerecorded songs. The live artists who performed were Gable Price and Friends, DJGbaby, and student artists Off the Record, Katherine Shepler, Carlisle and TJ Lawson and K’saan.

Student Activities plans a variety of events throughout the semester to offer students a break from classes and homework. 

“Work hard, study as much as you can, but take a few hours, and let yourself enjoy the precious and special time you have left before summer,” Comfort said.

“When we were looking at the spring, specifically the senior and the juniors who have had a hard trek as students, we knew we wanted to do something incredibly special,” Comfort said. “We put a lot of work and love into this event, and we really hope that students will be able to look back and just remember that their last weeks of the year were fun ones spent with friends.”

Kicinski is a news reporter.