After the flooding of Pauley Pavilion in July, the damage done to another UCLA staple, Bruin Bash, needed to be addressed.
Because the Bruin Bash concert is typically held in Pauley, organizers Greg Kalfayan, the Undergraduate Students Association Council Campus Events commissioner, and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Irmary Garcia said they knew switching the location of Bruin Bash from Pauley to the Los Angeles Tennis Center would decrease the accessibility of this central event.
In an effort to include students who will be unable to get tickets for the concert, the two councilmembers are organizing a free festival on the Intramural Field as well as two movie screenings as part of Bruin Bash.
This year, the honorarium costs for Bruin Bash, which include the cost of having Chance The Rapper and Kandace Springs perform, will total $38,000, compared to the $56,000 spent last year, when Bruin Bash hosted E-40 and Tyga. The budget is significantly smaller than last year’s partly because Kalfayan and Garcia did not request surplus funding from USAC, since the amount of available surplus for this year is anticipated to be low.
“(This year) is a lot more different than we expected in the beginning, but we’re really happy with the way things are working out,” Garcia said. “We’re working well considering the situations and the circumstances.”
The festival on the IM Field will serve as a central hub for Bruin Bash. Beginning at 5 p.m., the carnival will offer four food trucks, a photo station, radio station DJs like Power 106 and giveaways from various sponsors. Unlike other Bruin Bash events, students only need their BruinCard card to attend.
The food options will include Mexican food from Border Grill, sweet and savory crepes from Crepe’n Around, Indian street food from India Jones Chow Truck, California Asian fusion food from Komodo and Bruin Walk Kettle Corn, which is normally found in front of Ackerman Student Union.
Drama thriller “Kill the Messenger” will screen in Ackerman Grand Ballroom, while Beyoncé and Jay Z’s “On The Run” concert film will screen at Carnesale Commons in the Palisades Room. Both screenings begin at 8 p.m. Approximately 750 tickets for the screening in Ackerman and about 640 for the screening on the Hill will be randomly distributed on Friday through an online lottery system.
The screenings will feature giveaways from the Campus Events Commission, the On-Campus Housing Council and the studios screening the films.
Kalfayan said he thinks the extra movie on the Hill will not only offer another film option for students to choose from, but it will also make Bruin Bash more accessible for new students.
Second-year undeclared humanities student Lydia Janbay said she thinks the additional screening and festival may subdue the typical frenzy of Bruin Bash and help students who missed the concert to still enjoy themselves that night.
“I think (splitting the events) will also take away from a sense of unity and community and shared experience,” Janbay said. “But at least people will be entertained.”
Despite the event’s reduced budget and smaller concert venue, Garcia said she still expects a successful Bruin Bash.
Garcia said, “We all put in time to make sure that students are really getting the best out of the night and starting the year off well.”