Students attending WEF’s house concert shared their thoughts about the event
By EVELYN SANCHEZ — features@theaggie.org
The lights were vibrant, streamers ran around the trunks of trees and the crowds were plentiful by the second hour. Fundraising through dance, live music, screen printing and supporting local vendors, The Whole Earth Festival (WEF) put on a house concert on March 1 to not only welcome the warm air but rally excitement for their upcoming titular event on May 9 to 11.
The event asked for a donation of $10 to 15 on a sliding scale, though no one was turned away for a lack of funds.
Rohini Murali, a fourth-year human biology and psychology double major, was one student who attended the WEF house concert.
“I really like the vibe,” Murali said. “Everyone seems really fun and it feels like an inclusive environment. It’s such a good idea to have live music.”
Three bands were featured throughout the night: Moonbloom, Carabeza, illbie and Your Tax Dollars at Work, alongside intermittent shows given by the Pole Dance Club at UC Davis. Carabeza even featured merchandise at the event, in which the lead singer carved out a stamp and collectively imprinted the design on each shirt.
Katherine Krinsky, a fourth-year English major and one of the co-directors for WEF, offered some behind-the-scenes information.
“For this event, my co-director and I, and some of my staff members, first find a yard we want to use,” Krinsky said. “We ask [vendors] if they want to table, recruit the bands and have the opportunity to table and publicize WEF.”
It was also WEF’s first time hosting a show at The Secret Garden, a local venue in Davis. Krinsky noted her coincidental initial joining of the WEF team.
“I joined WEF kind of by luck,” Krinsky said. “I had some friends applying for staff and because I liked working with kids, I [thought] it would be fun to do Kids Space. I had been to the festival before once [in] my freshman year — happened upon it, loved it and then decided it would be cool to join staff.”
Krinsky started with managing the Kids Space in her second year and managed the logistics section her third year, now managing the entire event alongside her co-director. Krinsky hopes that WEF can host one more house concert before the festival in May.
Ailani Corona, a third-year design major, was present at the event as a vendor.
“This is the first house concert I’ve sold anything at,” Corona said. “I heard about [WEF] through my wonderful roommates but also Professor [James] Housefield as part of his lecture. I applied for [WEF] main events, and they emailed me about this event and […] asked me to come in.”
Corona is experienced in painting on glass or paper but has leaned toward selling her crocheted products, as she has been able to accommodate college students’ interests with more ease.
“I’ve been selling things since I’ve transferred,” Corona said. “But before that, I’ve been selling for three years, and I’ve been crocheting since [my] senior year of high school.”
Selling a large assortment of handmade crocheted animals and objects, an audience favorite being her tiny crocheted conchas, the Latina-owned small business can be found on her Instagram account, @artsy_ailani.
The 56th Whole Earth Festival, with the theme “Earth to the People,” will be held at the UC Davis Memorial Union Quad from May 9 to 11.
Completely student-run and in association with ASUCD, the zero-waste event is popular among students not only for their festival but also for publicity events. These events work to fundraise for WEF and give back to the community of Davis for continuing to support the environmental cause.
Written by: Evelyn Sanchez — features@theaggie.org
