As events all across the world have transitioned to computer and phone screens for the last year, this year’s `Runner Nights, hosted by Campus Programming, is following the trend.
This year’s annual concert has expanded to a weeklong event – The `Runner Nights Virtual Music Fest, featuring four artists set to take place from Monday, April 19 through Friday, April 23.
“It was important for us to continue with all of our traditional programs once we transitioned to virtual. With `Runner Nights being a highly attended and signature event for our students, we knew we needed to find a way to hold this event and reimagine how it would look,” said Director of Campus Programming Emily Callahan.
This year’s Virtual Music Fest will feature:
- Monday, April 19 – Hunter Hayes – 8 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 20 – Hippie Sabotage – 8 p.m.
- Thursday, April 22 – Paloma Mami – 8 p.m.
- Friday, April 23 – GIVEON – 8 p.m.
Each year, the `Runner Nights committee asks students what their favorite genre of music is. Responses received usually include R&B/hip hop at the top of the list. But, Spanish, country and EDM have also received a number of votes. Callahan explained that being virtual allowed them to meet the diverse needs of the students in one week.
“Virtual concerts cost significantly less than in person because of not needing to pay for production, travel, hospitality, space rentals, staging, set up, etc. and so we put all of those cost savings into contracting with additional talent,” said Callahan.
The `Runner Nights committee is made up of student representatives from six areas within Student Affairs, including ASI, Athletics, Campus Programming, Student Housing, Student Union and the Student Recreation Center.
“We met regularly to identify artists that were open to performing virtually within each genre and then put together lineups according to our budget for the year,” said Callahan.
The committee went back and forth, with some artists deciding against virtual and others who came on board.
“This was by far the hardest year to confirm artists. However, we continued to seek student feedback to ensure we were mindful of their desires,” added Callahan.
As the world starts to open up again, Callahan is anticipating the days of being on campus and doing the concerts in-person.
“I look forward to the day where we can all be together again and can get back to a new normal, whatever that may be,” said Callahan.
“Our `Runner Nights Carnival and Concert has always been favorites of mine because of the smiles on our students faces at those events. We will continue to follow our campuses guidelines in creating safe spaces for our students and whether we are online or in person, we will continue to host `Runner Nights as a way to engage our campus community,” said Callahan.
For more information on the Virtual Music Fest and to enter meet-and-greet contests for the festival, follow Campus Programming on Instagram.