The University’s annual Springfest performance is one of the most well-known events in the community. Every spring, students gather on Chapels Field to enjoy musical performances and unwind before final exams begin. In an April 14 Instagram post, the Campus Activities Board announced that the 2026 headliner will be Swedish singer and songwriter, Zara Larsson. 

Larsson is at the center of pop culture’s current zeitgeist. Viral moments, including her “Midnight Sun” tour, Billboard Hot 100 song, “Lush Life” and her remix of PinkPantheress’ “Stateside,” fueled her rise into mainstream media. The student body’s anticipation was palpable as students expressed their excitement and gratitude for CAB’s efforts on social media. 

By performing at Brandeis, Larsson joins a lineage of rising stars who have headlined Springfest, including Doechii and Kendrick Lamar, continuing Brandeis’ tradition of spotlighting emerging artists. 

The Justice spoke to CAB’s concert committee on March 9 and the organization’s Executive Board on March 30 to discuss the logistics behind planning the event. 

“Springfest is a tradition on campus,” said Kaitlyn Huang ’28, an event coordinator, during the March 30 interview. “I feel like Brandeis specifically doesn’t have that many traditions. … I know when they do admission tours that’s something they talk about, and people look forward to the hype.” She said that part of this tradition is the community’s anticipation surrounding the headliner announcement. Through laughter, several members of the E-board reflected on the fun of hiding the surprise. 

“Springfest is a time [students] can enjoy saying that [they] go to Brandeis,” CAB’s president, Samuel Hadego ’27 affirmed in the same interview. “It’s a grind for us on the E-board, but I think it’s really fulfilling, because we get to see the whole campus have fun.”

“We have a really big role in defining what campus life is like and that aspect of Brandeis community and culture,” Elizabeth Josiah ’28 said in the March 30 interview. Josiah serves as one of CAB’s events coordinators. “That’s a big part of what we do — trying to plan events that are going to align with that mission of creating space for building community and friendships.”

“This year, we only sent out one [request] for a headliner — which is really, I would say, unheard of,” Naomi Ihueze ’28, CAB’s concert chair, explained on March 9. “I didn’t expect it to go at least that smoothly, but we sent out our first offer right before winter break, and then we were able to hear back and adjust.”

Ihueze mentioned that there have been times where the organization has had to navigate price changes, among other contract complications. In a previous year, an artist increased their price significantly between the point CAB received their initial quote and when they were working to finalize their contract. 

She shared that CAB requests an artist to perform through Pretty Polly, a talent agency and event production house. CAB sends Pretty Polly a list of potential Springfest acts and the agency provides projected costs. The concert committee then reviews which estimates are most feasible. CAB has partnered with Pretty Polly for the last decade to coordinate the festival.

The committee stressed that planning Springfest starts at the beginning of the fall semester. The organization circulates a form to students to suggest a headliner and gauge the student body’s music preferences. Last semester, the form received 132 responses. Although many students named artists — such as Ariana Grande — who are too prominent within the music industry to perform in a university setting, at least six students named Larsson. 

“There were quite a few throwbacks, which I thought were fun, and people were really going for the pop girls,” Zoey Cardinal ’28 recalled on March 9. She serves as the committee’s volunteer coordinator. “I feel like it’ll go over well. [Larsson] has a good amount of mass appeal, so I feel like a lot of people will be happy about it, even if [she] wasn't their initial pick,” she predicted. 

CAB’s form also surveyed students' requests for opening acts. “I thought it was fun to see people suggest headliners, but they also suggested openers. [The responses] would be tons of people I never heard of,” Cardinal said. She mentioned that some requests included local artists from Boston and greater Massachusetts. 

This year’s professional opener, Notebook P, is a songwriter and vocalist based in Randolph, Massachusetts. New England Mic Check’s artist spotlight described that his music centers primarily around R&B, and “ranges from upbeat, hip-hop influenced melodies to soft, sensual sounds over remarkably articulate lyricism.” Some of Notebook P’s most popular songs on SoundCloud include “layover,” “dusk” and “porkchops.” 

CAB also began its search for Springfest’s student openers during the fall semester, holding open auditions for the performance slots. For a consecutive year, Benjamin Jolluck ’26, a disc jockey who performs under stage name JAGA, and singer-songwriter Hazel Drew ’28 will perform on the Springfest stage. Drew will be accompanied by JonAaron Arnell ’28, Cam Steinberg ’26 and Joey Kane on stage. 

Additionally, student groups “1 Night Only” and “Marakosa” are the other two opening acts. 1 Night Only is composed of Emily Confino ’26, Isidora Bustos ’28, Ben Selip ’28, Dan Zeidan ’26 and Kian Wignaendts Van Resandt ’28, while Marakosa’s duo, Divina Ashley ’27 and Iyegbekosa Ohan ’27, will be joined by Selip, Reed Gao ’25, Ananya Dalal ’26, Stephen Dixon ’26 and Godson Ademola-Thomas ’27. 

There’s more to Springfest than the music. Preparations also include arranging the food vendors and necessary safety measures. Cardinal said, “It’s a really fun challenge to be able to manage all of the logistical elements to make sure that everyone on campus can have the best day possible.”

To mitigate concerns about Springfest’s notoriously long check-in line, CAB will be distributing wristbands in the Shapiro Campus Center’s atrium the week leading up to Sunday. Between April 21 and April 24, CAB members will table between 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., including a second shift between 6:00 p.m and 9:00 p.m, on Wednesday, April 22. Students will also be able to pick up their food truck vouchers in advance. Ihueze clarified that each attendee will receive one meal ticket and one for the dessert food truck. 

This year’s food truck vendors include, but are not limited to, Cookie Monstah, Kona Ice and Moyzilla, an Asian street food truck. Additional options will also include Indian cuisine, hamburgers and tacos. 

“It’s kind of like an all hands on deck situation between the majority of groups on campus,” explained Ihueze. In addition to being the concerts chair, she also serves as the concert committee’s safety and logistics coordinator. CAB works in conjunction with the Department of Student Engagement, the Department of Public Safety and Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps. She added that student volunteers have a protocol to follow should they observe any “unsafe behavior” taking place. 

“I hope that people really enjoy their time,” CAB’s vice president Jia Zheng ’26  shared on March 30. “I hope they have one day before finals to relax and enjoy one of the last events on campus this year.” 

As Springfest approaches, students and organizers alike prepare for one of campus’ most anticipated events of the academic year.