Ella Mitchell
Photography Editor
Sewanaroo is one of, if not the, biggest events put on by the Tigers Entertainment Board (TEB) for the Sewanee student population every spring. It proves to be a hit among the student body, drawing excited crowds yearly. Sewanaroo is a large-scale event which takes a lot of planning and organization to put on. This year’s event included performances by smaller student solo artists and bands during the day with the headliner, Moon Taxi, taking the stage that night. Diverse food trucks, airbrush tattoos, balloon animals, tarot readings, and custom t-shirts were just some of the exciting activities also made available to students during the event.
Something Sewanee students likely don’t think about when it comes to events like this is the money behind it. Obviously, the food trucks, activities, and the bands that perform cost money, but students likely do not consider the individual costs of these things and the amount they add up to. Ivory Roberts, Assistant Director of Student Programs, told The Purple the total cost of Sewanaroo was “about $75,000.”
The extra activities that are offered to students during the event, such as the airbrush tattoos and the t-shirts provided this year are aspects of Sewanaroo that enhance the overall experience for students. “We ask the students,” Roberts said, when asked how the activities were chosen. “We send out surveys sometimes, if you come to our events we ask because it’s a TEB-sponsored event. We really ask who we see at events.”
The t-shirt station was new this year, and Roberts spoke on how that happened. “A student really wanted that so we priced it out different companies and brought it,” Roberts said. “So it’s just a really student-accumulated information that we get the vendors from.”
It is evident that the amount of work that goes into putting on an event at this scale requires a long period of planning. TEB begins their planning process immediately after the last event has taken place.
The process for contacting big names to perform at an event like Sewanaroo is something that might seem unattainable to the average Sewanee student. “We have to reach out to an agent and certain artists’ agents only deal with other agents,” Roberts said. “It takes probably about three or four months just to get in contact with a specific artist.”
The Music House, a student organization who used to contribute money to Sewanaroo, is no longer in existence. The Music House is said to have donated $8,000 annually to help support Sewanaroo. It is worth asking whether or not other student organizations would be willing to support the festival in the future. “This is fully TEB funded,” Roberts said. “This year the Vice Chancellor out of generosity he found out about Sewanaroo and donated a significant amount to the food.”
A lot of students will remember the poll sent out near the start of the year allowing the student body to vote for the event’s headliner. This year’s headliner, Moon Taxi, was not an option on the list. Despite this, students still seemed excited about the event when Moon Taxi was announced. Moon Taxi’s set was packed with Sewanee students who were enjoying the music. Roberts gave some insight as to what happens when the artists that the students want are unable to play: “It just came to a point where we really just had to pick someone so the TEB representing the student body really just had to narrow down and pick an artist that was affordable and available at that time.”
Reflecting on student perspectives of the event, some students preferred the student performances and performances from smaller local groups over the headliner. The Tilts, a Sewanee favorite, and a handful of other musicians performed throughout the course of the festival. “I only stayed for like 20-30 minutes of [Moon Taxi’s] set, but I liked the previous band better,” Mohana Buckley (C’ 27) said. “They were our age group, and they just looked like they were having more fun on stage. When Moon Taxi came on it felt like we had anticipated their set leading up to Sewanaroo, but for the headliner it fell a little flat. And I love live music so that was sort of disappointing.”
Another concert attendee, Natalie Turnage (C ‘27) offered a different opinion than Buckley. “Moon Taxi was honestly the best concert experience I’ve had!” Turnage said. “They brought a level of energy to the stage that I rarely see anymore from most modern bands––there was never a dull moment watching them! Also, the music and vocals itself? Top tier.” Both Turnage and Buckley’s opinions offer different student perspectives that allow a better understanding of how Sewanee students felt about this year’s Sewanaroo.
Overall, Sewanaroo 2024 was a successful event. The cost of the event itself is evidently a large undertaking for the university and Tigers Entertainment Board, and students seem to appreciate the amount of work that goes into putting on an event of this scale.