Sept. 24, 2014
Capital Fest 2014, a concert for Catholic University students featuring the band Walk the Moon, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. on the University Lawn.
Program Board, the University's student-run organization that plans undergraduate events, put the concert together. Dante DeAnnuntis, a senior civil engineering major from Media, Pa., and programming chair for the board, had a hand in every aspect of getting the event to become a reality.
"There were murmurings of this huge event that Program Board wanted to do," DeAnnuntis recalls about his first year on the board in 2012 when members were already invested in staging a concert at the University.
Program Board members had to get their idea for a concert approved by the Student Fee Allocation Board (SFAB) and the Student Association General Assembly (SAGA). DeAnnuntis says he spent many meetings negotiating with the student groups, but Program Board members refused to give up on their idea.
After a few tries, a concert finally seemed possible - SFAB and SAGA gave Program Board permission to start planning the event.
"We were trying to create a tradition," DeAnnuntis says of Program Board's commitment to the concert. "This is the first event of this caliber and this size in many, many years," he says.
In 2006, a band called The Ataris performed at the Raymond A. DuFour Athletic Center. Since then, CUA has not held an event close to the anticipated size of Capital Fest, says Steve Kreider, assistant director of the Office of Campus Activities.
Once Program Board members received permission from SFAB and SAGA to begin planning, they chose a name and designed a logo for the event. It would be called Capital Fest to pay tribute to the University's Washington, D.C., location.
"Envision the University Lawn," DeAnnuntis says as he describes the concert venue located between the Columbus School of Law and the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center. "On the ellipse there will be a stage, it will be built up high, and it will have a roof, backdrop, hanging speakers, and lights. It's a full-production show."
Walk the Moon, Capital Fest's headliner band from Ohio, is known for its "swirly pop beats, infectious guitar riffs, and loud, sing-a-long choruses," a magazine review notes. Some of their songs include "Anna Sun," "Tightrope," and "Shiver Shiver." Coin, a band from Tennessee, will open for Walk the Moon.
All Catholic University students are invited to attend the event free with one non-University guest. In addition, 200 VIP tickets are available for $15 each. VIP ticket holders are admitted into a concert area up front a half-hour before general admission guests.
The day of the concert a limited number of Capital Fest T-shirts and drink Koozies will be for sale for $10 each. VIPs, however, receive their T-shirts and Koozies along with their special ticket ahead of time for $15.
Anyone at the concert can purchase tailgate-style concessions from Aramark at its onsite food truck.
About 25 professional staff volunteers from different offices at Catholic University and about 50 student volunteers will help the weekend of the concert.
"This event cannot be successful without the entire community's support," DeAnnuntis says.
Senior Joe McQuarrie, an elementary education major and student volunteer at Capital Fest, says he thinks this concert could bring the CUA community together in the same way that Relay for Life - the American Cancer Society fundraiser - and Luaupalooza, the University's spring carnival, do.
"When it comes down to it and when we can come together for a good cause (Relay for Life) or a good party (Luau), there's an amazing, connective atmosphere felt between everybody," says McQuarrie of Lawrenceville, N.J.
DeAnnuntis says the concert embodies the University's campus-wide "Community Building Campaign" for the 2014-15 academic year because it brings together students, faculty, and staff to work toward a successful concert.
The Office of Residence Life is planning Capital Fest Kick-off, a pre-concert event starting at 4:30 p.m. on the St. Thomas Lawn, located alongside the Edward M. Crough Center for Architectural Studies.
"If you haven't been to a Walk the Moon concert before you may not know that many of their fans paint their faces," says Allison Mockler, community director of the University's central residential neighborhood. "We will be having a face painting table as well as giving out glow sticks and other prizes so that students can have a great time at the concert."
The Office of Alumni Relations invites all former students to attend a pre-concert gathering at local brewery Brookland Pint on Monroe Street. At the concert, alumni will have a designated area to socialize.
Program Board members want Capital Fest to become an annual event at Catholic University, so it is important that this year's concert is a hit, says DeAnnuntis.
"We want students to embrace this as a groundbreaking event and make it a part of their time at CUA," he adds.
To learn more about Capital Fest 2014, buy VIP tickets, or register a guest, visit capitalfest2014.eventbrite.com . To register for the event as an alumnus, visit engage.catholic.edu or call 202-319-5608. Concertgoers are asked to use the hashtag capitalfest2014 for the event.