KWCW, Whitman’s student-run radio station, hosts many events around campus, such as Mixtape Night and Concert Crafts, but Wallapalooza, which takes place on Saturday, May 2nd, will be their biggest event for the 2025-26 school year. 

Wallapalooza was created in collaboration with the Whitman Events Board (WEB), Quarterlife and Bluemoon, each playing an essential role in organizing art vendors, food trucks, inflatable obstacle courses and live music. This year’s lineup includes local artists like Spec O’Dust, Noah Pody and Love Brunch, Small Paul from Seattle, as well as international artists such as Pacifica from Argentina and Cornelia Murr, originally from London.

According to KWCW General Manager Lucky Eden, ’26, the first annual Wallapalooza in 2025 was held on Reid side lawn and featured two bands. Now with six performances expected to play on Ankeny field, this year’s event is set for a larger scale than the 2025 festival. Planning has been underway since April 2025, involving on- and off-campus collaborations and organizations, as well as financial coordination.

Eden explained that one of their goals since joining KWCW three years ago has been to bring more professional bands to campus. In their current role, Eden became a lead organizer for the show alongside other campus organizations. Eden’s outreach to bands made them a key contact for the visiting musicians in this year’s lineup.  

“KWCW has definitely been heading the effort mostly because we book the artists, so we have to plan really far in advance, at least six months to a year to book, so we get on their schedules, but we all (WEB, Quarterlife and Bluemoon) have been working really well, and it’s been really good so far,” Eden said. 

Another on-campus organization involved is WEB. The current Board Chair, Shahin Hamzeh, ’27, shared that WEB has been involved since the start, helping with logistics planning, recruiting volunteers and assisting with funding. He explained that the board is already thinking about the future and considering what could be improved or added for next year.

“I think in terms of planning, everything looks great, thanks to Lucky Eden for being on top of it to get the bands in order and lined up,” Hamzeh said. “However, I think more early planning with collaboration with more departments and organizations could make the work easier with more diversity, which is something we are already looking forward to.” 

Rome Di Giulo, ’27, the Editor-in-Chief of Quarterlife, started this semester wanting to grow Quarterlife in new directions by increasing community engagement and hosting on-campus events like a collaboration with chemistry courses and t-shirt decorating. 

For Wallapalooza, Quarterlife focused on managing small-scale logistics such as funding, booking vendors and tabling the event. To prepare for the 2026 festival, Di Giulo sat in on committee meetings in 2025—an experience that influenced his expectations for the festival and hopes for Quarterlife to become more involved in future iterations. Di Giulo also explained ASWC funding allows them to participate in on-campus events like the concert.

“We weren’t playing as much of a hands-on role, and that’s also a reason why a budget increase [from ASWC] for the next academic year is really important to us,” Di Giulo said. ”We want to be able to contribute to Wallapalooza more and be big play makers.” 

KWCW’s long-standing vision of bringing professional bands to campus is taking shape with this year’s Wallapalooza. As the second annual festival prepares to transform Ankeny Field into a hub of art, music, food and activity, organizers are already looking ahead. For them, Wallapalooza isn’t just an event to be proud of; it’s a foundation to build on, with bigger ambitions and stronger collaborations to come.