In an effort to improve safety and accountability during Dillo Day, Mayfest will require all attendees to wear wristbands and will prohibit the general public from attending the festival.

Access to Dillo Day this year will be restricted to Northwestern students, faculty and staff and their personal guests as well as Evanston residents. Non-student guests under the age of 19 must be accompanied by a chaperone at all times. If the guest is not registered with a student, the chaperone must be at least 25 years old. All attendees must register through the University at dillo.mine.nu. Registration has not yet opened.

“By eliminating those people who would come to Dillo Day, we are trying to promote safety among Northwestern students,” said Victoria Zuzelo, Mayfest’s director of university relations. “At the end of the day, it is funded by the Student Activities Fee, which is meant for students, so we really want to make sure that students are getting the biggest benefit out of Dillo Day.”

Each student can bring up to two guests, and NU staff and Evanston residents can register up to four guests. There will be separate wristbands for guests under 19, and chaperones for underage guests must stay at Dillo Day. Wristbands will be distributed prior to Dillo Day and will have serial numbers that will be linked to each attendee. In the past, wristbands were not required for all attendees.

Zuzelo said the serial numbers on the wristbands will help with accountability.

“According to the police, a lot of the problems that happen on Dillo Day are not necessarily Northwestern students, especially the Evanston violations,” the Weinberg senior said. “We really want to make sure that Northwestern students are accountable for the people that they are inviting.”

Students who do not pick up the wristbands before Dillo Day will be charged a $5 convenience fee on the day of the festival. Wristbands will not be replaced if lost, and they are separate from the wristbands distributed by Residential Services.

Due to construction, Dillo Day will also only have one entrance and one exit this year. Guests will enter from Norris University Center’s East Lawn and exit near the Sports Pavilion and Aquatics Center.

Justin Wolf, co-executive producer, said the wristbands will help limit congestion that may result from only having one entrance.

“If you have a wristband, all you have to do is flash it, and that is your entrance to Dillo Day,” the Communication junior said. “This wristband shows that you have gone through all the necessary measures to obtain it.”

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