CABchella Brings Festival Vibes to Campus

With a night full of music and dancing, the Campus Activities Board showed that the iconic Coachella experience doesn’t need to take place in the desert. 

CABchella took place on May 2, over at the MUC west lawn. This event was the first of its kind. CAB Vice President Brook Roozen said that this event helped fulfill students’ expectations of the annual concert that the organization hosts. 

“CAB to a lot of people meant having a concert, which for the past few years we have been trying to get away from,” Roozen said. “This year we wanted to make it more about the students and have one more celebration before finals and graduation.”

The night featured live music from two different bands. Beverly Hills Thrift Store is a band made up of current USD students and Juliet Motel is a band from the Rapid City area.

“My team had personal connections to these bands and knew that they were incredible performers, so they were our first ideas that we had down,” Roozen said. “I genuinely could not have chosen a better line up for this year.”

Multiple organizations tabled at the event, including the Student Government Association, Black Student Union and Greek Life. A passport system was given to students who attended and encouraged them to talk to every group tabling. 

“If they interacted with everyone tabling, they could turn in their card for a CABchella t-shirt,” Roozen said. “I loved seeing everyone in the merchandise that I designed. It was really fulfilling.”

This event wouldn’t have run as smoothly as it did if it weren’t for student volunteers.

“They were CABchella. Without the students, none of it would have been possible,” Roozen said. “Whether it was the planning, organizing, working or the tabling, students led almost everything in the planning of the event.”

CAB plans on having CABchella become an annual event for the student organization. Roozen is excited to see what the new executive team does next year and hopes the event continues for years to come.