Changes in Sun God fest aim to limit binging on nectar of gods

A couple of years ago, a friend and I showed up to UCSD’s Sun God Festival—the annual spring music festival held in May—hoping to catch a glimpse of Talib Kweli. Instead, all we saw were drunken students cutting loose in a sudsy Price Center fountain and others stumbling around campus. Clearly their alcohol tolerance was weakened by too much time spent in the library.

But the days of paying homage to the Sun God and Natty Ice are over, at least in the traditional sense. Once anyone could show up on campus and take part in the debauchery, but this year each UCSD student will be limited to two guests. The decision comes after the university’s Associated Students took a look at complaints from university administrators and recounted incidents in which people needed to be revived after ingesting too much alcohol, said Kevin Highland, the associate vice president of programming for A.S. Highland said administrators have wanted to do away with the festival for the past 10 years.

To keep Sun God safe, this year’s festival on May 16 will be limited to RIMAC field, which will have three stages and carnival attractions. Other changes Highland told me about include:

All students will be required to wear wristbands. Guest wristbands will have a bar code that can be traced back to the UCSD student who purchased them should the guests get into trouble. Re-entry will not be allowed after sundown to discourage people from boozing it up in parking lots and dorm rooms before returning.

“The perception of Sun God is, ‘This is the one day I can cut loose,’” Highland said. “We want to make Sun God an event that is a destination in itself.”

Highland said he expects a backlash because it is a transition year for the festival. Security will be in place at the Price Center should students try to revive the Sun God of the past, he said.

For the upcoming festival, Highland said The Modlins and Lady Dottie & the Diamonds are in the line-up. He said a headliner hasn’t been booked yet and wouldn’t give any hints as to who’s on the wish list. Last year’s headliners were T.I. and Third Eye Blind.

UCSD students—and UCSD students only—can pick up their wristbands and pay for guest wristbands at the UCSD box office or various points on campus the week prior to the festival. Guests will have to pay $35 for the festival and concert; in previous years $25 only covered the concert.

Another interesting tidbit from my talk with Highland: to keep students from binge drinking at the end of the academic year, A.S. has begun sponsoring “bear gardens.” That’s “beer gardens” to you and me, but UCSD policy prohibits the student organization from using the word “beer” in its advertisements. I see the intent behind their strategy, but isn’t that just building up students’ alcohol tolerance so they’re in prime drinking shape by the time Sun God rolls around?