Preview: Block Party

August 29, 2016

Believe it or not, the 2016-17 school year is upon us, which means that the Student Activities Block Party is just around the corner. Meet us in the LaHaye parking lot on Saturday, September 3 starting at 5 p.m. for the best annual “welcome back” event that Liberty University has to offer! For those of you who have never experienced Block Party, this is what you can expect to see:

  • A full parking lot of carnival-style rides and games, including the always popular Ferris wheel
  • A wide variety of local food vendors and food trucks
  • Many of the university’s departments and student-led clubs, ready to provide you with all the information you could possibly want
  • Music performances by Colony House, singer-songwriter Dave Barnes, and local favorites Vacation Manor
  • A fireworks show at the conclusion of the Colony House performance

Colony House will be visiting us for the second time, having performed here previously last April in the LaHaye Event Space. Their first album When I Was Younger is excellent, and as we heard first hand during their performance here, demonstrates how capable band members Caleb & Will Chapman, Scott Mills, and Parke Avery are in terms of musicianship and quality songwriting. This is why we are very excited to host them only a couple weeks before the release of their upcoming album Only the Lonely, available on September 16. You can check out the tracks “You & I” and “You Know It” on your favorite streaming service today, and you can definitely check them out for yourself when they play here on Sept. 3.

Dave Barnes is no stranger to Liberty University either, having performed here several times (including Block Party in 2011). Unlike that Block Party, this time we don’t expect there to be a hurricane just east of us. But just like that Block Party, we expect Dave to be just as endearing and melodic as ever. You will surely hear your favorites from his extensive catalog, but we are excited to see how his most recent, Eagles-inspired release “Carry On, San Vincente” sounds on a summer night in September. It should be a perfect setting for his laid back sound.

And of course, we love to support local talent, so we are thrilled to be able to add Vacation Manor to the show this year. Be sure to check out their debut EP “Girl, Say” as soon as you can.

While you enjoy everything we have to offer, take plenty of pictures and tag all of your posts with #SAblockparty. There will be tons of prizes and giveaways throughout the day, so be sure to get there early and plan to stay late!