Bacchanal: A Brief History
Columbia’s Bacchanal, a rightfully-hyped spring music festival, hasn’t always been a campus tradition. In 1964 at the first “Spring Weekend” (its former title), a couple would reserve one ticket and a hotel room for the night. Things have certainly changed (imagine having to land a Bacchanal date!?), but the appeal of a university-wide entertainment event has remained strong. Though the official title cycled through many versions of “Springfest” and “Columbiafest” in records dating back the 80s, the 1998 name “Bacchanal” stuck (a nod to Bacchus, the hardest-partying of the Ancient Roman gods). Merriam-Webster’s definition of the term Bacchanal is “orgy”… interpret that however you’d like.
“Whenever I think of Bacchanal, I think of community,” says Maat Bates, a Barnard senior on the event group’s executive board. “It’s the one day of the year I feel the collective joy of campus. From conversations about day-of-show outfits to artist guesses, you can feel the entire campus buzzing as the date approaches.” For members of the planning team, it’s also the crux of a months-long effort. Historically, the responsibility of organizing the spring festival was held by a group called the Board of Managers, but changed hands multiple times between various student committees, eventually giving rise to its own organization in 1996. Once independent, CU Bacchanal could have its finger on the pulse of both the music industry and Columbia culture.
Cameron Flood, a Columbia College junior, is one of the only current Press Team members to have attended Bacchanal in 2019. “I definitely see certain traditions persisting, but also evolving,” Cameron mentioned. “The announcing of different artists and the different Bacchanal themes are always changing to create a new experience for students, but that general feeling of togetherness and being able to enjoy a good concert with your friends is always going to be there.” The remarkable longevity of Bacchanal as a fun tradition speaks to its ability to foster excitement amongst students and welcome a moment of collective stress release.
In 2019, Bacchanal brought on its first all-woman lineup: Rina Sawayama, Tierra Whack, and SOPHIE (the exception being student artist Oswald Fresh). Cameron says, “I probably listen to SOPHIE the most consistently. I had been into the genre of PC Music / hyperpop for a while but hadn’t actually listened to [SOPHIE’s] music. By the time 100 gecs was going to be a thing for Bacchanal 2020, I had already listened to them. So, the 2020 lineup seemed like a continuation of 2019 in that regard.” Unfortunately for the many 100 gecs (and Gucci Mane and Wander Marchal) fans at Columbia, the spring 2020 concert at Terminal 5 was canceled just before the pandemic sent most students home. Another notable cancellation occurred in 2014—the administration nixed an attempt at a fall Bacchanal, purportedly citing concerns about safety and sexual violence, but the tradition was allowed to continue on campus that spring. Sadly, it appears that this coming spring’s concert will not be in person once again, thanks to our seemingly never-ending global health crisis. Rumors of a specialized app have circulated, with potential to make history as the first true virtual Bacchanal. Rest assured that with all this time to plan, Bacchanal will come up with something that evokes the same sense of fun and community. In the meantime, you can follow @cubacchanal on Instagram for updates on events as well as other Columbia and music-related content.