Three rows of tables, 200 organizations and businesses, a bouncy castle, a sumo wrestling ring and a hot air balloon will decorate the Theophilus Tower Lawn Saturday.
The annual street fair and concert starts at 5 p.m. Saturday with a tabling section for student and faculty organizations as well as Moscow community groups and businesses.
The event will start after students return from the Serving Your New Community volunteer event.
Palousafest is the welcome and welcome back to campus, said Heather Colwell, the department of student involvement student coordinator. The event will close down the block of Sixth Street between Line and Rayburn Street.
“Don”t miss it,” Colwell said. “This is the biggest event to get to know the clubs and organizations.”
There will be a concert featuring Los Angeles folk-rock band Branches from 7:30-9 p.m. If the weather turns to rain, the concert will be held in the Bruce Pitman Center.
Other attractions such as a bouncy castle and a sumo wrestling ring will be placed on the Tower Lawn during the tabling event, Colwell said. The sumo wrestling will be done with inflatable suits and helmets. There will be a mechanical bull set up near the grid market as well.
On the Student Recreation Center lawn there will also be a hot air balloon students can ride. The balloon, which will be tethered to the ground, will rise 150 feet into the air for an overlook of campus, Colwell said.
Students will have to sign waivers in order to participate in some of the events other than the street fair.
Throughout Palousafest there will also be free pizza and water offered near the bouncy castle.
“We want to expose them to as much as possible,” Colwell said.
There will be several diverse organizations and businesses, which Colwell said she hopes help students “make the most of it,” as that is the theme of the event. Everything at Palousafest is free, and so students will walk away with plenty of “swag” from organizations and businesses.
“It”s so much fun, and free,” Colwell said. “It”ll be awesome.”
Claire Whitley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Cewhitley24