Dillo Day
Dillo Day is an annual concert held at Northwestern each May, and it celebrated its 40th anniversary this spring. It’s the biggest concert held on campus each year and features artists from all different genres.
Dillo Day is held on the Lakefill, just south of Lakeside Field, and many students bring guests from other schools to attend. In addition to the music, there are a number of vendors with food and other items.
The lineup isn’t announced until shortly before the show, but last year’s headliner was Steve Aoki. Other performers included Cold War Kids, Kendrick Lamar, Reel Big Fish and Big Boi. The headliners for the two previous years were B.o.B. and Nelly.
Dance Marathon
Dance Marathon is NU’s largest philanthropic event, involving around 1,300 students in 2012. Students typically register to dance with a group and then raise money throughout the year. It culminates with a 30-hour, non-stop dance party during the reading week of Winter Quarter.
Money from last year’s marathon was donated to the Andrew McDonough B+ (Be Positive) Foundation and the proceeds benefited the foundations fight against childhood cancer. As the primary beneficiary, the B+ Foundation received $717,700.29 of the total of $1,107,670 raised. An additional $79,752.25 went to the Evanston Community Foundation.
The beneficiary for the 2013 Dance Marathon will be the Danny Did Foundation, which raises awareness about sudden death by epilepsy and helps fund treatment for those affected.
A&O Fall Blowout
While Dillo Day is the biggest concert on campus each year, the A&O Fall Blowout is also a major attraction for students. A&O puts on a number of concerts and shows each year, but the Fall Blowout is the biggest of the group.
Last year’s Fall Blowout included Lupe Fiasco and Matt & Kim. The year before, Snoop Dogg and Kid Cudi performed.
The concert is held at Welsh-Ryan Arena, and unlike Dillo Day, there is a fee of $10 for students.
Homecoming
NU’s Homecoming is one of the first events that the Class of 2016 will experience on campus and will consist of a week of events with alumni coming back for the football game against Iowa Oct. 27.
The court for this year has already been announced and the theme is “Let the Good Times Roar.” While the football game is the biggest homecoming attraction and is typically well-attended by alumni, there are other events for students, including a parade down Sheridan Road and a pep rally Friday night.
The grand marshall for the homecoming parade last year was Seth Meyers, a NU alumus and popular star on Saturday Night Live. Last year there was also a comedy show during homecoming weekend, performed by the popular Chicago comedy club “The Second City.”
The Dolphin Show and Waa-Mu
While there are student productions going on at all times of the year, two big productions — The Dolphin Show and Waa-Mu — are mainstays on NU’s campus and are put on by theater students at NU.
The Dolphin Show is America’s largest student-produced musical and celebrated its 70th anniversary this year with the showing of “42nd Street” from Jan. 20 to 28. It began as a swim team fundraiser and has turned into one of NU’s most popular shows. Other recent shows include “Ragtime,” “Parade” and “The Wizard of Oz.”
Northwestern’s first Waa-Mu production was held in 1928 and it has been a tradition at NU ever since. The 2012 showing was a student-written production called “Off The Map.” It was held in late April and early May and was directed by NU Professor of Music Theater David H. Bell, who led a cast of 42 student performers.
