Volapalooza brings end of year celebration for UT students, celebrates 15th anniversary

Volapalooza ended the semester with a bang for UT students.

Since 2003, Volapalooza has taken place on the last day of classes and has featured musical acts from every genre. This year’s lineup featured X Ambassadors, COIN, Pell, Luke Pell, Mountains Like Wax, Electric Darling and DJ A-Wall.

The event was moved from Worlds Fair Park to Thompson-Boiling Arena due to inclement weather; a move that upset some students.

Allie Barnes, a UT student, remarked on the move.

“I understand that they had to move it here because of the weather, but I still wish we could have been outside,” she said.

Many students, however, were happy with the move saying they enjoyed the “concert environment more than the festival vibe.”

The show featured two stages, one for local bands and the other for bigger acts. Concert goers could go back and forth between the two stages in between acts. The event also featured many different vendors giving away free items like Coca-Cola, water, t-shirts and free henna tattoos.

The free henna was the most popular booth of the night with some students waiting almost three hours. Volapalooza also featured many different food trucks with items like corndogs, ice cream, burgers, fries and many other options.

Hunter Malone, a student who attends Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, drove in for Volapalooza. He said he made the drive because of the personal connection he has with X Ambassadors.

“X Ambassadors have really helped me through many difficult times in my life. Some of their songs got me through some very dark times when I was battling depression,” Malone said. “They’re part of the reason I am alive and seeing them live reminded me of where I am now, loving myself for who I am.”

Volapalooza proves that there is much more to music than meets the eye.

Images by Gabrielle Harman

Edited by Kaitlin Flippo