Gearing up for UCSD’s SUNGOD Festival Friday, May 13

Around this time every year, UC San Diego puts away the lab reports and academic journals to let loose for a day.  It’s called SunGod, an annual campus-wide festival that goes from approximately noon to midnight, a 12-hour marathon of music, food, games, dancing and plenty of inebriated college kids.

This year’s festival will take place on Friday, May 13.  Hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa (you know, the guy that sings Black and Yellow?) will be headlining, along with other names like Mike Posner, Jimmy Eat World, Crystal Castles and JFK of MSTRKRFT.  Sun God is free for UCSD undergraduate students with a valid ID, while guest tickets sold for $50 this year.  However, guests, grad students, staff and alumni tickets have sold out in record time this year.

Where security may have been slack in previous years, event coordinators insist that because of the high volume of attendants expected this year, they will be checking everyone for valid festival wristbands.

Acts in previous Sun God Festivals have included Drake, N.E.R.D., Sean Kingston, T.I., My Chemical Romance, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes and The Roots.

Last year, Sun God 2010 had a record turnout of over 20,000 people.  The turnout this year is expected to top that.

Here are some helpful Sun God tips:

1. Hydrate hydrate hydrate.  Twelve hours of standing outdoors in a relatively unshaded area will do things to you.  While event security may not let you bring your own bottles inside (for obvious reasons), there will be water readily available for purchase inside the festival.  Or, as part of their green initiative, you may receive free water as long as you bring your own reusable bottle.

2. Wear Sunscreen – Turns out your mother was right, the sun can do heaps of damage to your skin.  Make sure to slab on the SPF, especially if you’re going to be out all day.

3. Layer your clothes – While we’ve been enjoying bouts of gorgeous weather these few days, the weather in San Diego can be precarious.  Wear layers that you can take off when sweltering, and don on later in the night.

4. Pick and Choose the Acts you want to see – As enchanting as the Cirque Berzerk acrobats are in the Midway tent, you don’t really want to be there when Jimmy Eat World is playing their set on the Main Stage (unless you aren’t a fan of Jimmy Eat World).  Make sure to check the schedule to keep track.

5. Charge your phone and keep it on you at all times – Charge your phone the night before and make sure to keep it on you in the highly likely event that you or one of your friends wanders off.  And spanning over 12,000 acres, UCSD’s campus is not exactly the best place to get lost without a phone.

6. Take the bus or shuttle – Don’t drink and drive.  The last thing you want on SunGod is to get into a car accident or to receive a DUI.  Students with a valid bus sticker on their ID cards are entitled to free public transportation on selected MTS buses or any campus shuttle, so put your keys away.  Plus, finding parking on campus is next to impossible.

7. PACE YOURSELF – Go slow and watch your intake.  No need to pass out or get kicked out before Jimmy or Wiz even gets on stage.

Image by Alex Hans3n and emilydickinsonridesabmx and SD Dirk via Flickr