Headlined by student-chosen performer Waka Flocka Flame, UW Oshkosh’s signature end-of-year event, Bye Gosh Fest, returns Thursday, May 8, to cap off and celebrate the end of the school year before finals week begins. “The whole event is designed to be a fun and relaxing celebration for students right before finals begin,” Megan Molthen, the live music chair for Reeve Union Board, said.
Bye Gosh Fest is free for students using their TitanCard, and each student is eligible for one guest ticket that they can receive at the Student Engagement desk at Reeve Union leading up to the event.
Waka Flocka Flame, best known for his party anthem “No Hands,” will take center stage at Kolf Lot No. 13 at 6:30 p.m., while the festivities themselves start at 3:30 p.m.
Openers include alternative rock band WNDW performing at 3:45 p.m. and Gangstagrass at 5 p.m., who Molthen describes as “a unique group that blends bluegrass and hip-hop for a truly one-of-a-kind experience.”
Molthen, who’s in her first year at her position, said that many activities will be available at the event to promote a festival-style atmosphere, along with eight food trucks for attendees to choose from.
“This year we’re bringing in bigger and more exciting inflatables than ever before to make the activity area even more fun,” she said. “We’re also adding more interactive elements to engage students throughout the event. And don’t forget to stop by and get your picture taken in the big pink chair.”
Molthen said that Bye Gosh Fest is a fun way to end the semester and that she is excited to see everyone enjoying themselves for something that took months to prepare for.
“I’m super excited to see the energy Waka Flocka Flame brings to the stage and how the student crowd reacts especially because this has been months in the making,” she said. “… Ultimately, he’s an energetic performer with a lot of name recognition and hype potential.”
With planning large events like this and dealing with a wide range of genres with artists, Molthen said her team always has conversations about the content of performers.
“We work to strike a balance between entertainment and community standards,” she said. “With Waka Flocka, we discussed content expectations with his team and made sure the performance would be appropriate for a campus environment.”
When Reeve Union Board sent out its annual campus-wide survey to choose a headliner for this year, Molthen said that Waka Flocka Flame received overwhelming support from the students.
“He received the most votes overall, and once we confirmed his availability and that he fit within our budget, we were able to move forward with booking him,” she said. “It was exciting to be able to secure the top choice this year and bring in the students’ number one overall pick.”
Molthen said that for choosing a headliner, her team works with a booking agency that specializes in college events that filters out artists who don’t fit their budget or time window.
“Our executive board and committee narrow it down to a top 20 or so, balancing different genres and artists we think students would be excited about,” she said. “Then we send out a campus-wide survey so students can vote on their favorite artist, [and] student input plays a huge role in our decision.”
Molthen said that different genres and artists in the survey included Uncle Kracker, Andy Grammer and Owl City, also noting that she wanted to get rid of the multiple-round survey system used in past years.
“This year, I wanted to simplify the process by sticking with one main survey instead of doing multiple rounds like in the past,” she said. “We focused on narrowing down the list beforehand, which helped us move faster and secure contracts earlier. This was a huge help in planning everything else around the show.”
Molthen said that she wants students to bring their friends and their energy to cap off the school year, along with staying up to date with events from Reeve Union Board on Instagram.
“We really want ByeGosh to feel like a celebration of the whole campus community,” Molthen said. “It’s free for students, and we put a lot of care into making it fun and safe. It’s more than just a concert; it’s an experience.”
For more information regarding Bye Gosh Fest this year, check out www.uwosh.edu/reeve/involvement/traditions/bye-gosh/.
