By Dame Flame
Weekly Driftwood Staff Writer
In an email update on March 12, the Washington College Contingency Planning Group revealed new information regarding the open-air tents on campus.
“After reassessing the cost of the tents, WC has decided to pursue a partnership that will allow us to make better use of these structures,” the email said.
On March 5, the Contingency Planning Group released an email update stating that three tents had been installed on campus. These tents are located outside of Hodson Hall, Queen Anne’s House, and Sassafras Hall and were installed to promote safe and socially distant outdoor gatherings, according to the email.
These tents were installed for a hefty price that many on campus feel was unjustified.
According to freshman Tyler Fire, the tents haven’t been of much use to students. “There not in super convenient locations. People have a lot of other outdoor spots that they’re going to gravitate towards,” Fire said.
The tents haven’t quite served their purpose so far, and WC could benefit from finding creative ways to attract students to them.
In a positive turn of events, the Contingency Planning Group has decided to partner with Fyre Media to organize an on-campus music festival, according to WC Party Programming Liaison Pam Scam.
“The College really wants to get their money’s worth out of these tents, and they want to show on-campus students how versatile these outdoor spaces can be,” Scam said. “That’s why the Contingency Planning Group decided to reach out to Billy.”
Billy McFarland is the CEO of Fyre Media and was the co-creator of the Fyre Festival alongside rapper Ja Rule. Fyre Festival was a music festival and island retreat planned to take place in the Bahamas in the spring of 2017.
The festival was extensively promoted on social media by influencers and celebrities but failed rather miserably.
“We were living in these flimsy tents and eating cheese sandwiches all weekend. It totally sucked,” Instagram influencer Carly Party said.
The terrible conditions at Fyre Festival were an unexpected shock to ticketholders who had paid big bucks for a Coachella-like festival experience on a remote tropical island.
McFarland was incarcerated for fraud following the collapse of the event.
Despite his past failures, junior and famous TikTok star Rad Chad has high hopes for McFarland’s Chestertown comeback.
“Fyre II is going to be so sick, dude. WC is on the right track with this one. We’re going to party hard in those tents,” Chad said.
According to Scam, the Contingency Planning group will be working with McFarland to establish a concert line up and hire vendors. Fyre Festival II will be integrated with the Contingency Planning Group’s “Spring Stay” programming to encourage students to remain on campus.
This partnership could prove rather fruitful for WC. Students will be more likely to stay on campus for spring break if the College hosts such a groundbreaking event, and the tents will at last be used to their full potential.
Bringing in vendors from Chestertown would allow the College to support local businesses by hosting this festival, and planning measures can be put in place to ensure the event is COVID-friendly.
“By requiring masks and assigning small groups of students to each tent, I think we could pull off this exciting, fun event in a safe way,” Scam said.
Best of all, Gus the Goose will be performing as headliner at Fyre II. According to his vocal coach, Gus will be unveiling a series of long-rehearsed WC-themed raps.
Students should keep an eye out for tickets to what is sure to be an enjoyable and thoughtfully planned campus-wide event in the coming weeks.
Featured Photo caption: Rapper and co-founder of the original Fyre Festival Ja Rule surveys the venue of Fyre II. Photo by Single Ply Toilet Paper.