This year’s Fall Fest was the most interesting live-music experience I’ve ever attended.
This year’s Fall Fest — like previous years — had an array of cute activities. Students could get a tattoo, and MC college students were offering free haircuts. There was the usual SAMU swag tent where students spun a wheel to win free stuff, like Fall Fest hats. Oh, and a lot of alcohol was consumed — would it really be a Fall Fest without a bunch of drunk university students?
At 2 p.m, the general admission lineup spanned the length of Building 6’s food court. The excited chatter of students (who were probably skipping class…) echoed throughout the school.
The lineup for this year’s fall fest was laid out pretty well. As the evening progressed, the more intense and hyper musicians performed.
The festival opened at 2:30 with a set from Lucas Wentworth, who was the winner of SAMU Battle of the Bands 2026. Wentworth’s 1970s, Jackson 5-inspired sound suited the vibe of the sparse crowd at that time.
Shortly after Wentworth, Kayley Jade performed with a folky sound that was like Ethel Cain on steroids.
Baby Nova, the third performance of the day, kicked off with a hauntingly beautiful set. Nova, adorned in a bright red mini dress with rose detailing, was a vision of Canadian Lana Del Rey. Nova also spoke about her experience in a psychiatric ward and how her mental health has influenced her music.
Next up was Tiffany Day. The Canadian-born and L.A-based musician was by far the best performer of the night. I squished my way up to the barricade, which was worth almost getting trampled on for. Playing her best hits, she encouraged the crowd to jump throughout her entire performance. Despite playing at 4:30 p.m., she brought a much-needed energy to Fall Fest. Day’s bubblegum hyper-pop aesthetic was a wildcard in this year’s lineup, but she brought a ton of excitement to the event.
It was exhilarating to see MacEwan students all jumping in sync and having fun together. Students were dancing their hearts out with strangers and friends alike.
“I think it’s a really fun time to bring everyone together for the start of the year,” said attendee Izzy Ostertag.
Halfway through Day’s set, she took an attendee’s MacBook from the crowd and snapped a selfie of the crowd with it.
Zeddy Will, the American rapper who gained popularity on TikTok with tracks such as, Cha Cha and Can’t Go Broke, nearly brought the Fall Fest grounds down. His DJ opened the first 20 minutes of the set with club hits that had students singing along. Once Will stepped on stage, the festival got wild. Besides playing his greatest hits, instant ramen packets were being thrown into the crowd — I don’t mean a single pack, there were so many that it was a bit of a safety concern. Will got a hold of a pack and ate it on stage, getting instant ramen everywhere. Towards the end of his set, Will managed to get the entire crowd doing the ‘scuba dance’, an internet dance. Students grabbed their noses and waved their other hands in front of them like they were swimming. The barricade began falling apart shortly after, prompting security to duct-tape it back together.
Once the ramen-noodle fiasco was cleaned up on stage, it was time for the headliner.
Artemas, a British singer-songwriter who also gained popularity on TikTok, closed out the festival as the sun set and the grounds were at their busiest. Artemas played his most popular songs — I haven’t deliberately listened to his music, and yet I still somehow knew all of them. Unfortunately, unless you were incredibly wasted, his set wasn’t great.
His stage presence was good, and he got people jumping, moving their arms, and screaming. I don’t know if it was a sound issue, but his vocals sounded uneven and off-key. Maybe it was just nerves of performing for the greatest university in the world — I’d be scared too. At this point in the evening, the sun had set, and the neon lights from the stage shone upon the crowd.
Each year, Fall Fest is still the most anticipated event at MacEwan. People rush to purchase guest tickets, choose an outfit, and plant their feet at the barricades to hold down the fort all evening. Each year, Fall Fest seems to get better. It may be an opportunity for students to get wasted with their friends and watch a free concert packed with some pretty big musicians, but it’s also a fun way to celebrate new and returning students and gives them a chance to start the semester off right. Before you know it, you’ll have five exams and 20 essays due, and no time to dance.
