LollaPLUza 2014

May 5, 2014

This year’s LollaPLUza logo was designed by Samuel Hosman ’14.

Student Input Helps Make Music/Street Festival Bigger and Better Than Ever

By Katie Baumann ‘14

Something great is coming to PLU. It’s big. It’s free. It’s LollaPLUza 2014. And it’s coming to Garfield Street, right across from Harstad Hall, from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, May 10.

And this year’s LollaPLUza (commonly referred to as “Lolla” by PLU insiders) is going to be bigger and better than any before, says ASPLU Programs Director Olivia McLaughlin ’14.

LollaPLUza Help Wanted

ASPLU is looking for volunteers to help with this year’s event. If you are interested in lending a hand (and getting a free breakfast, lunch, and LollaPLUza 2014 T-shirt), email Olivia McLaughlin at mclaugom@plu.edu.

“This year at Lolla we wanted to cater to more of the student body,” said McLaughlin. “We’ve really tried hard to hit a big group of students with the variety of music we have.”Lolla-goers can expect to hear hip-hop, folk, electronic and great student acts at this year’s event. The headlining band is an alt-electric group from Los Angeles called Parade of Lights. (Check them out on YouTube and Spotify.)The all-female folk group Joseph, from Portland, also is coming to serenade on Saturday.

“We’ve been trying to get them here for a while,” said McLaughlin. “I’m really excited about them—they’re really great.”

While the music is sure to be awesome, attendees also can look forward to more things to do during the day, such as a giant Jenga, provided by Habitat for Humanity; inflatables, provided by RHC; raffles; tie-dying; an interactive student mural; and much more.

“We wanted to make it more of a street festival instead of just a music festival,” McLaughlin said.

The added events aren’t all that’s new. This year, event merchandise will be available for everyone, and not just volunteers.

“This is the first year in a long time that we’re selling [event] shirts,” said McLaughlin.

Students will be able to purchase shirts for $7 in the days leading up to Lolla during dinnertime in the Anderson University Center. If there are still shirts to be sold at the end of the week, ASPLU will sell them at the event. They are expected to go fast.

ASPLU wanted to go above and beyond to improve this year’s event, but students also made their voices heard about past Lolla experiences.

At least one of the bands playing Saturday was a student suggestion, as was tie-dying.

“ASPLU cares so much about Lolla,” McLaughlin said. “We love feedback, and when we get feedback we always listen to it.”