First Night Fest is the first major event of the fall semester and is hosted by UPC and KNWD to liven up campus and celebrate students’ move-in. The event boasts food, activities, an organizational browse, gifts, giveaways and a concert featuring a special guest musician. This year, new and returning students were surprised with an unforgettable performance by the artist Daya.

Lynsey Plunkett is a sophomore secondary education major and First Night Fest coordinator who was responsible for organizing the activities, games and organizational browse of the night. “Seeing how happy people were with Daya was exciting. I’ve never seen that many people show up, so seeing how positively they received the performance and the activities we organized was really great,” Plunkett said.

Emily Waits is a sophomore accounting major who excitedly attended the event for her second year. “My favorite part of First Night Fest was the music. NSU does a really good job of getting relatively well-known artists and bands to come and play,” Waits said.

While First Night Fest’s concert is the most memorable part of the evening, the event offers many opportunities to get involved through its organizational browse. “Get involved on campus in anything that you’re interested in. You won’t regret it. You’ll make lifelong connections and gain opportunities you might have never dreamed of,” Plunkett said.

“Go to as many tables as you can,” Cale Arceneaux, a sophomore history major and KNWD member, said. Arceneaux worked with KNWD to ensure the event ran smoothly, helping students as they arrived and working behind the scenes to make the night a success. “For incoming students, it is important to put yourself out there, join things and show interest! Get out there and see what else is waiting for you here at NSU,” Arceneaux said.

“Talk to as many people as possible, whether that be organizations, other students or faculty there,” Plunkett said. “It’s really important to make friends as quickly as you can, even if you think it’s scary. First Night Fest is the perfect place to get out there and have fun.”

First Night Fest is an amazing chance to enjoy a night with friends and to build new relationships. The concert, organizational browse, food and games allow students to forget their worries about the semester’s start and experience a carefree night of fun. “I went to First Night Fest my freshman year because I wanted to make friends and get out of my comfort zone, and I loved it,” Waits said. “I went again this year to experience it with my closest friends and make memories, and I can’t wait for next year!”