Southern Utah University celebrated its annual Sunfest Week, which offered a full schedule of activities. The celebration, which took place from April 10-14, was sponsored by the Student Programming Board as a way for students to unwind before finals week. With five days of events, students had plenty of opportunities to enjoy the festivities.
Cowboys Versus Aliens
On the first day of Sunfest, the SPB hosted a nerf battle in the SUU Hunter Alumni Center where students enjoyed a fun game with toy blasters. During the battle, the movie “Cowboys & Aliens” played in the background.
Make a Hit
A week prior to Sunfest, musicians – singers, songwriters, instrumentalists, etc. – signed up to perform at the “Make A Hit” event. They were then randomly placed in groups of two and tasked with writing a hit song. For Tuesday’s activity, these pairs performed their songs in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Ballroom for a crowd of their peers. The event brought live music to campus and fostered collaboration among local musicians.
Hunter Bosgieter, the vice president of programming for the Southern Utah University Student Association, praised this event for the connections it forged between creative students on campus.
“It was just randomly paired up,” said Bosgieter. “We got some good songs that came out of it and some future partnerships that are looking like they are going to be made.”
Drive-in Movie
While high-energy activities like the “Make A Hit” concert are sure to draw large crowds, the SPB made sure to also plan activities that would allow students to destress before finals week. On Wednesday, students gathered in the parking lot across from the football field and enjoyed a showing of “Guardians of the Galaxy” from the comfort of their vehicles.
Lights on the Lake
Thursday’s activity was a lantern festival held at Three Peaks Oasis. According to Emily Wixom, who helped plan the event, the location was a way to put a new spin on a classic Sunfest experience.
“Usually it’s at Lake on the Hill. We tried a different location this year,” said Wixom. “It was really fun; we had a great turnout. I think students had a lot of fun.”
Most Fun Friday
The final Sunfest activity is a tradition that was started in 2021 at the request of the former university president, Scott Wyatt. Most Fun Friday boasts a full day of activities, including hot air balloon rides, a clubs fair and a space-themed game of bingo, aptly titled “Twinkle Twinkle Little Bingo.” The SPB wrapped up this year’s Sunfest with a dance held in the Multipurpose Gym.
“For a lot of these people, some of them are graduating or some of them are just finishing up their first year of college,” said Bosgieter. “Hopefully these events are a good way [for] people who weren’t able to make it to some of our other events or make the year go quite as planned to have a good time and take their minds off things before finals start.”
Outdoor concert: The National Parks
This year’s Sunfest included one bonus event. On April 15, the Cedar City community gathered outside the Southern Utah Museum of Art for an outdoor concert featuring a popular folk-pop band called The National Parks. While this event was not originally intended to be part of the scheduled activities, it ended up being a great way to celebrate the end of yet another amazing Sunfest.
For more details about Sunfest as well as updates about upcoming campus activities, follow SUU Student Life on Instagram.
Story by: Nick Stein
life@suunews.net
Photos by: Anden Garfield and Nick Stein
