This number is based on the number of wristbands distributed since there is no official count, said Associate Vice President of A.S. Concerts and Events Oliver Zhang. In comparison, over 5,600 students turned out last year for FallFest, UCSD’s traditional Fall Quarter event that Hullabaloo has since replaced.
Due to budget cuts, A.S. Council cut the FallFest budget from $135,000 to $62,500. ASCE then decided to rename and rebrand the event so students would not be disappointed by a financially restricted FallFest. Unlike FallFest, which centered around music performers, Hullabaloo focused on creating a carnival atmosphere with rides and food trucks.
“Regardless of the budget cut, we would have had to reinvent FallFest anyways,” Zhang said. “Going through this experience and dealing with such a drastic budget cut for what’s usually our second largest event of the year … has prepared our staff — especially the festivals team — to create an even better Sun God in the future.”
Elizabeth, a junior who wished to remain anonymous, said that she found the event more enjoyable than FallFest, but was still disappointed by the rides.
“I kind of arrived there pretty late because I was trying to avoid the crowds,” she said. “When I got there, I got signed in and got my wristband, and I was trying to get on the zipper ride, but the cut-off point was 10:30. I was really disappointed because the event was supposed to end at midnight.”
Musicians and DJs such as Felix Cartal, Jokers of the Scene and DJ Philly performed at the concert at Town Square.
Food trucks such as Corner Cupcakes, Flippin Pizza, Tabe BBQ and Super Q were open throughout the night.
“I felt like I wasn’t able to experience the whole experience of Hullabaloo,” Elizabeth said. “I didn’t enjoy the music, not that I don’t like that kind of music … it was just that the DJ was a bad DJ. The [food] was pretty expensive … I liked it more than FallFest just because it offered the carnival ride experience, but the cut-off was too early.”
Eleanor Roosevelt College freshman Krystal Tse, who arrived at Hullabaloo at around 6 p.m., said the festival compared favorably to her experience at Marshallpalooza — an annual event hosted by Thurgood Marshall Student Council which took place the day before, on Nov. 17.
“Compared to [Marshallpalooza], there weren’t that many rides, but the music was better than yesterday’s,” Tse said.
The festival staff did not run into any safety problems, and Zhang said administrators have been supportive of the event.
“That really cements the fact that there’s going to be a lot of support for the event next year,” Zhang said. “And I think there’s a lot of room to expand out, so I’m really excited that the next year’s staff can carry it on and improve upon the festival.”
