The Campus Activities & Programs (CAP) Center will host its annual Fall Fest on Sept. 17 on the football practice field. The event will feature a concert from Jesse McCartney, the well-known singer from the early 2000s famous for his solo debut album, “Beautiful Soul.” Past performers include Andy Grammer in 2014 and Matt and Kim in 2015.

In addition to the live music, there will also be free food, carnival games, rides, and giveaways throughout the night.

“I really look forward to attending Fall Fest. Although during Orientation I was involved in numerous activities, I am now excited to be with all the other classes,” Maddie English ’20 said. “And of course I’m excited to hear Jesse McCartney sing.”

Excitement for Fall Fest is not limited to the first-years. Many upperclassmen are equally excited to come back for the concert and participate alongside the new students.

“I always stop by for a bit. It’s fun to be outside and be with friends,” Dani Kotowitz ’18 said.

There have been several major changes to this year’s Fall Fest activities.

“The biggest change is moving it to the football practice field and having the event before the season opener of the football game,” Director of Campus Activities and Student Organizations Mike Duignan said.

In response to a survey sent out to the student body over the summer, there will also be a beer garden, Super Slide, and Ferris wheel carnival rides.

While a rewarding endeavor, setting up Fall Fest and hiring talents such as McCartney involved a lot of effort.

“The biggest challenge is working in a new space and the amount of communication that needs to happen between the committees through the summer,” Duignan said. “The process starts out with a survey which we had over 900 people respond to. Then we put together committees with heads of each committee. The hardest part is that many of the committee members have not met each other until we had our first meeting in person. But, I would never give up the process because it provides a true student-run experience.”