“We knew definitely that we needed a different name to make it feel like we were starting a new tradition,” Associate Vice President of Concerts & Events Oliver Zhang said. “[Keeping] the name FallFest would be misleading because it is such a different event. We wanted to give this event a new life. We thought a lot about the name, and we wanted a name that sounded like a really fun celebration.”
Founders’ Day — which featured the artist Far East Movement last year — will take place on Nov. 18 during the day with Hullabaloo following at 6 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. using the same stage setup. Unlike FallFest, which was held at the Warren Mall, Hullabaloo will held be in the Town Square and Matthews Quad.
“We had to revamp Fall Fest,” Zhang said. “To go with the Fall Fest we had in previous years would be a disservice to students because of financial reasons. It wouldn’t [have met] students’ expectations from the past and I think it would’ve just been a bad decision for all of us.”
Hullabaloo will feature both UCSD musicians and outside musicians that have yet to be released, as well as carnival rides, food trucks and other attractions.
“I think given the success of events like the “All Campus Dance” or the dance tent at Sun God proves to us that we don’t really need a big headliner to draw students,” Zhang said.
The festival will also allow re-entry, another feature that Zhang felt FallFest lacked.
“The lineup never really felt consistent,” Zhang said. “Attendance dropped the previous year from two years ago so I think there was a fundamental issue with FallFest. It wasn’t as sustainable a tradition as I think Hullabaloo will be.”
FallFest, which traditionally featured one or two headliner artists such as The Game in 2009 and Big Boi in 2010, did not live up to Zhang’s expectations. The festival’s budget was cut by $75,000 from the original $135,000 for Fall Fest 2010 to the Hullabaloo budget of only $60,000. ASCE took the cut as an opportunity to re-brand FallFest from a night concert to a festival that will no longer be focused around one headliner artist. Although Hullabaloo is replacing FallFest, Zhang emphasized that this a completely new festival.
“I thought there was a problem with the format of Fall Fest in general because it was more of a concert than a festival, which is perfectly fine but that’s just not what I envisioned,” Zhang said. “Regardless of any financial reasons, I think I would have [changed] Fall Fest anyway.”
Zhang expects a turnout of about 4,000 UCSD students. The lineup will be released Oct. 31.
“I think it’s hard to compare Hullabaloo and Fall Fest,” Zhang said. “They’re very different. I would have changed the format of Fall Fest regardless of the budget.”
