Carnival Central

Buggy, Booth & Midway Come Together in One Location

By Kelly Saavedra

All bets are on for a fun-filled Spring Carnival Weekend, April 14-16, with a slight twist in this year’s festivities.

The Spring Carnival Committee has rolled the dice, relocating Midway and Booth onto the College of Fine Arts (CFA) Parking Lot and rides to the CFA Lawn. Construction for the new Tepper Quad in Morewood Parking Lot prevents Spring Carnival from occupying its usual real estate.

“I think having the new venue could add a positive spin on Spring Carnival, having one central location for all of the weekend’s activities,” said Andrew Greenwald, Spring Carnival’s adviser.

The theme this year is Game Night, requiring booth-builders to choose a board game or video game theme on which to base their creative structures. Some of the themes already claimed are Candy Land, Battleship, Pac-Man and Mario Kart.

“Twenty-five booths will be constructed on the lot, which is considerably smaller than Morewood. Rides will be set close to the sidewalks to minimize foot traffic on the lawn. Build Week, when organizations construct their booths, will present a number
of new challenges as we work with the organizations to work with the limited space,” said Patrick Koenig, Spring Carnival chair.

In previous years, Midway was far from the Sweepstakes start line at the corner of Margaret Morrison and Tech St., the finish line on Frew St., and the Mobot Races in front of Wean Hall.  

“Hopefully having everything in one location will make visitors more aware of all the events going on during the weekend and allow them to be more engaged with Spring Carnival as a whole,” Koenig said.

Check the schedule for dates and times of your favorite traditions, including Buggy and Mobot races, Scotch ‘n’ Soda performances, Kidzone, the Staff Council Ice Cream Social, a Zero Waste All Campus lunch and the University Store sidewalk sale.