A&O Blowout will be held at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago this year instead of Welsh-Ryan Arena.

A&O chose to hold the event at the Aragon because it is a great venue for music, A&O co-chair Danny Brennan said. Blowout was held at Welsh-Ryan Arena in previous years.

The Aragon has a prestigious history in the Chicago music scene, and Blowout will allow many new students to experience that scene, Brennan said.

“We really wanted (to) tap into the resources that we have in Chicago,” Brennan said.

A&O co-chair Cory Goldman said this year’s event will be very similar to the organization’s spring show, A&O Ball, which takes place annually at the Riviera Theatre. Students will take buses to get to the venue, the Weinberg senior said.

The Aragon will have a more professional sound and more lights than Welsh-Ryan Arena because it was designed to be a concert venue, he said.

“It will be a much more engaging concert experience for the student body,” Goldman said.

A&O spokeswoman Caroline Fearon, a Communication senior, said performer announcements can be expected within the next two weeks. Tickets go on sale Oct. 13 and will include transportation to and from the venue, she said.

A&O Blowout will be held on Oct. 23.

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