What’s the deal with the Dillo Day artist poll?

Illustration by Shveta Shah

Mayfest Productions sent out a poll allowing students to rate their interest in 64 different artists. This data will be taken into consideration when planning Dillo Day.

Kate Pollot, Reporter

October 28, 2024

For four days in late October, Mayfest Productions invited Northwestern students to rate their interest levels on different artists for this year’s Dillo Day, NU’s annual student-run music festival.

The poll, which was released Oct. 22 and closed Oct. 25, included 64 different artists for students to rate.

Weinberg senior and Mayfest booking director Nathan Dent said the poll was intended to gauge which artists and genres students are interested in, with the goal of taking students’ preferences into consideration when booking artists for Dillo Day.

“At the end of the day, we really just want to do right by the rest of the student body and give people a lineup that they’ll enjoy seeing on Dillo Day,” Dent said in a statement to The Daily.

The organization declined to provide specific statistics from the poll.

This year, McCormick freshman Abigail Buell said she is looking forward to experiencing Dillo Day for the first time. Her excitement was bolstered by the caliber of the artists listed on the poll.

“It definitely surprised me that Kesha was on the list because she’s a huge artist,” Buell said.

Other artists listed on the poll included Fiona Apple, Suki Waterhouse and 6LACK.

While the poll collects information on specific artists, Mayfest extrapolates this data to make broader inferences about the demand on campus for certain genres, Dent said.

“We’re a small team, and although we think and work very hard, we can’t speak for every Northwestern student. But the poll can,” Dent said.

The poll will contribute to the rest of the booking process. As Dillo Day draws closer, Mayfest will continue narrowing down the list of potential performers with the results in mind.

The booking process for Dillo Day begins in mid-summer and continues into the school year. While Dent said Mayfest accounts for students’ preferences, one of the biggest factors in the process is finances.

“Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out that booking a festival is quite expensive, and a lot of our initial contenders get knocked out simply because they’re beyond what’s financially feasible for us,” Dent said.

The annual event is free to NU students. Since the festival began in 1971, Dillo Day has featured artists such as Charli XCX, Kendrick Lamar and Smash Mouth. Last year, rapper Swae Lee headlined the event.

McCormick sophomore Lucy Madsen said she enjoyed seeing both the artists and the rest of the student body on the Lakefill last year.

“It made the Lakefill really nice, just having everyone out there,” Madsen said. “It’s kind of like the first taste of spring.”

In addition to established musicians, Dillo Day also features student bands and DJs. These performers are selected through a “Battle of the Artists.”

Aside from music, Dillo Day festivities include food trucks, a photo contest and an overall theme. Last year, the theme was “Camp Dillo.”

The team will consider past Dillo Days when planning for this year, reflecting on what should be repeated, improved or done away with entirely.

“We’ve always been trying to make every festival the best one yet, and I think that’ll only continue this year,” Dent said.

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