Sun God Festival coming to UCSD May 14

May 14 is fast approaching, and if you’re a UCSD student or alumni you know that May 14 is not just any Friday…it is a day that you’ve been anticipating all year long, more than Halloween, Christmas and your birthday. May 14 is a day that the UC “Socially Dead” students crawl out of their caves and for once put the books and lecture notes on the backburner.

May 14 is a day these hardworking students let loose and come together through 12 hours of music, dancing, daytime drinking (non alcoholic drinks, of course) carnivalesque activities, and all sorts of fun in one campus-wide party of gargantuan proportions.

May 14 is UC San Diego’s annual Sun God Festival.

It’s no Coachella, but for a local event, it’s freaking awesome. For a UCSD student, this day will no doubt be one of the best days of your college experience. So if you can, experience it. Wake up early, gather your friends and start the day with a mimosa. Or a margarita. As T.I. says, “you can have whatever you like,”–just make sure you’re of age and you’re not on campus. When you have a nice little buzz going, shuttle over to campus and checkout all the activities, vendors, concerts and shows that will be going on all day long.

As a Senior Sun God-goer, here’s some helpful advice I could’ve used the past three years:

1)   Wear comfortable shoes. You’re going to be walking around all day, and when you’re crammed in a crowd of thousands of people that all want to be as close to the stage as possible, you won’t want your manolos to get trampled.

2)   Travel light. Only bring the essentials—your phone to meet up with people (you will get separated from your friends at some point), and your camera—but only if you’re an avid avid picture-taker and know for a fact that you will not lose your camera (losing your camera at Sun God is a common theme, so be paranoid with your belongings!), and last but not least, a reusable, non-glass, empty water bottle for free water throughout the day. They’re trying to be extra green this year, so definitely bring one otherwise hydration will not be free.

3)   On that note, stay hydrated throughout the day and be sure to have a good breakfast. Nobody wants to be the weak, wimpy kid who gets tired at 7 o’clock. And hey, don’t forget to wear sunscreen; you will be outdoors all day.

4)   Go to the dance tent.

5)   Don’t be one of those annoying, insatiable, I’m-too-cool-for-the-lineup people. This festival is once a year and a lot of planning goes into it. The lineup has already been decided and no matter how much you complain there’s nothing you can do to change it and make it so your favorite band or artist is going instead. So why don’t you just make the most of this special day and have fun like everyone else? Nobody wants to be the annoying, no fun, complainer kid.

Speaking of the lineup, this year’s is by far the best one I’ve yet to experience, in my opinion. For those like me who are class of 2010, you remember how excited we were over T.I. and Third Eye Blind our freshmen year, and then how disappointed we were when Sean Kingston and Coheed and Cambria headlined our sophomore year. True, things got better when NERD headlined last year, but this year’s lineup exceeds them all. In previous years, it seemed that our headliners were artists who were hot years ago and we hadn’t heard a hit from them in a while, or they didn’t become super big until a couple years after they performed at Sun God. However, this year they got it right. My senior year, at last, Sun God brings us a headliner who is right now at his peak—Drake. And there’s no denying that Drake is hot right now.

Not into that kind of music? Just wait one moment before you get your trendy, music snob, anti-radio panties in a bunch. This year’s Sun God, as ASCE assures, “will have something for everyone.” Michelle Branch, Thrice, Relient K and several other bands will surely keep you entertained if you’re not into hip-hop. This year’s lineup consists of over 30 performers, including major artists as well as local musicians.

And don’t forget to dance. DJs Z-Trip and Designer Drugs will be spinning in the dance tent for those who like that upbeat, electronic sound. There will also be performances by Cirque Berzerk and popular comedians.

So what if you don’t go to UCSD? They sell guest tickets. However, like all things that are too good to be true, there is a catch. You must know a UCSD student to purchase a ticket and have them purchase it for you. And like all really good things that are too good to be true, these tickets are sold out already. However, rumors are circulating that there may be more guest tickets available on May 10, so get in touch with your UCSD friends, whether they’re undergrad or graduate students! Check here or at the UCSD box office for more updates. For more information on how to purchase a guest ticket, click here.

UCSD, our favorite day is just a couple weeks away. Non-UCSD people, get in on this fabulous day of nonstop fun, if you can. Sun God 2010…let the countdown begin!

*Photo from ewen and donabel via Flickr