After seeing storms wash away last year’s Dillo Day, Mayfest’s leaders are prepared to carry out this year’s arrangements no matter what nature has in store.
“Our rain plan is to have it outside and our storm plan is Patten (Gym),” said Sarah Alexander, Mayfest’s co-chairwoman and a Weinberg senior.
Last year, Dillo Day, a day-long event known for non-stop music and partying on the Lakefill, saw all eight of its bands canceled due to storming. The group still had to pay them about $76,000.
In response, Associated Student Government, which funds Mayfest through the Student Activity Fee, ordered the group to have a rain plan for the May 25 concert this year. Former Financial Vice President Carson Kuo said ASG gave the organization $12,000 for a new rain-proof stage.
“The main difference between this stage and the one from previous years is that it’s a little larger and it has a roof that is significantly larger than the stage,” said John Lower, Mayfest treasurer and a Weinberg senior.
“The main problem last year was that the roof was the same size as the stage,” Lower said.
This created a dangerous situation for the bands because they had all their electrical equipment at the front of the stage, and the smaller roof did not prevent that equipment from getting wet. The larger roof is supposed to solve this problem.
This year’s Dillo Day also will diverge from years past in its focus on American Indian issues. The concert will be the culmination of a year of fund-raising for the Indigenous Environmental Network, a group focusing on environmental issues concerning American Indians, said Barrett Griffith, Mayfest’s philanthropy co-chairman.
“There’s not a whole lot of exposure to it on campus or in the media,” said Griffith, a McCormick sophomore. “We want to get a clear exposure of the facts out there.”
To build up to Dillo Day and raise awareness about these issues on campus, Mayfest plans to host many on-campus events in the next few weeks.
“We’re also looking to bring a speaker to campus to talk about the issues we’re highlighting,” Griffith said. These issues include environmental justice and American Indian sovereignty, he said.
Griffith also said Mayfest wants to concentrate Dillo Day’s activities more on its cause than it has in the past. One idea the organization has contemplated is having announcements between bands about these issues, Griffith said.
Group leaders said they cannot disclose the names of the major bands they are pursuing until the contracts are finalized, but the day’s opening band will be a Northwestern group determined by a Battle of the Bands at Nevin’s Live on May 8 and 15.
No matter who is playing, Mayfest is determined not to lose focus of its cause, Griffith said.
“This year, (Dillo Day’s) focus will be more on Native American issues than on complete drunken debauchery,” Griffith said.
