St. John’s University hosted its fifth annual Stormin’ Loud festival May 1 on the Great Lawn, bringing students out for rides, food and live performances ahead of finals.
The outdoor event, presented by the Resident Student Association, Student Programming Board, Student Government Inc. and Haraya: The Pan-African Students Coalition, ran from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. It was open to current students, accepted students and alumni.
Current students received free admission and picked up wristbands in Marillac Terrace starting at 10 a.m. with a Storm Card. Guests were limited to one per student and required a paid ticket, ID and check-in with their student host. Alumni were instructed to contact St. John’s Student Activities for ticket information and could pick up wristbands starting at 3 p.m. with ID.
Attendees received food vouchers upon entry that could be used at food trucks like Birria Landia, Bad Mon Jerk, Rita’s Italian Ice, The Bodega Truck, The Hub, Dumpling Magic Inc. and No Good Burger.
Attractions included a ferris wheel, carnival games, LED ping pong, a 360 photo booth, a graffiti wall and video game trucks.
Student performers, campus organizations and other musicians opened the event as crowds built throughout the afternoon. Anayka She and King Timmy were among the featured acts, along with individual student entertainers. Dance teams L.I.V.E. Dance Crew, Sensación Latin Dance Team and Step Ya Game Up — winners of the Battle of the Orgs on Accepted Students Day — also took the stage earlier in the showcase.
Later in the day, attention shifted to the main stage as the headlining performances began.
Ian O’Neill Smith, known professionally as ian, and BKTHERULA topped the lineup.
BKTHERULA, whose real name is Brooklyn Rodriguez, performed at 7 p.m. The 23-year-old Atlanta-based rapper moved into the crowd during her set, taking photos with attendees near the barricade. She performed songs including “BIG FEELING,” “TAN” and “ILOVEYOUBACK<3,” in addition to unreleased music.
Freshman criminal justice major Nasshard Thompson noted she came open to both headliners, despite not being familiar with one.
“I was really excited because he’s not usually my type of music, but I’m always open to different music options,” Thompson said. “I also love BKTHERULA, let me tell you. I love her down. ian, I’ve never really listened to him but I’m excited, and I’m ready.”
Freshman legal studies major Karena Ramos also expressed excitement about hearing more from ian.
“I only know ian’s one song that everyone knows, but it’ll be great to listen to his other songs that aren’t really heard and get his other songs out there,” Ramos said.
As anticipation built toward the end of the night, freshman business major Patricia Rinaldi said she had been looking forward to the festival for weeks and was especially excited for ian’s appearance.
“I am a freshman, and my friend Madison has been talking about this all year so I’ve been excited to come,” Rinaldi said. “I’ve been loving this man for so long. I was screaming, I was crying, I had to refresh my mind with all his songs, all my favorite songs. I’m so excited to see him.”
ian took the stage at 8:30 p.m. and closed the night with songs like “Oh Ok (XXL Freestyle),” “Figure It Out” and “Sh*t Sad.” The crowd packed near the barricade as students jumped and moshed throughout the set. The 20-year-old Dallas-based rapper also stepped down from the stage at points to interact with attendees.
A returning attendee, senior pharmacy major Rafid Sarker said the festival serves as a break from academic pressure.
“These [events] are really important because if there is no way to vent off your steam from studying or all these classes being taken all at once, you’re going to burn out,” Sarker said. “It’s best to have these to kind of calm down, relax and get your head back in the space before you go back to studying.”
He added that this year’s turnout felt larger than previous years.
“It’s a lot bigger. I see that there’s a lot more people popping out, so that’s nice to see,” Sarker said.
Senior biomedical sciences major Michael Aruta, who co-hosted the event, explained it marked a highlight of his time at St. John’s.
“That was by far my favorite Stormin’ Loud of all time. I think it was put together so well, I had a blast,” Aruta said. “We had so many great, talented organizations and students come up, and it was a great way to seal my senior year.”
Aruta added that the festival has become a campus staple.
“For an event only being five years old, it’s one of the best events a school can host,” Aruta said. “Stormin’ Loud is a staple for the St. John’s community.”
