U. cosponsors free CollegeFest concert at Mann Music Center

While the Spring Fling concert will remain the primary occasion for music, dancing and pure revelry at Penn, University officials are joining state and local government officials, Philadelphia businesses and nine other area colleges in launching a new music festival this fall. According to concert organizers, the first annual Philadelphia CollegeFest will be held on October 9 from noon until 10:30 p.m. at the Mann Music Center in Fairmount Park. The concert will be free to college students with identification and will feature two stages playing top musical acts, like alternative pop band Sugar Ray, hard-core rap group Public Enemy and all-girl rockers Luscious Jackson. Tickets are now available at the Office of Student Life in the Carriage House and will also be distributed by Y-100 radio at tonight's movie night and at Saturday's Grill 'n' Chill on College Green, part of the "No Place Like Penn" weekend. But with Penn CollegeFest organizers expecting between 30,000 and 50,000 students at the concert, Penn has plenty of tickets to give away. According to Social Planning and Events Committee President Jon Herrmann, the University agreed to participate in the event as a way to increase its exposure to the Philadelphia community while offering Penn students a chance to see more of the city. "The Mann Center is beautiful," Herrmann said. "It is cool because it's a place that most students don't get to even though it is close to campus." Tangible Change Committee Co-Chairperson Theo LeCompte said he thought the musical acts would be the main draw. "It's a free Sugar Ray concert," the Engineering junior said. The music festival is the brainchild of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce's College Student Retention Committee, which hopes to use the event as a way to persuade undergraduate and graduate students to remain in the Philadelphia area after they graduate. "Philadelphia is the second-largest college market in the United States," Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell said in a statement, which noted that more than 250,000 students are enrolled in colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area. "The concert and CollegeFest will help establish our city as a college town," Rendell added. "New students will continue to be drawn here and current students will be more likely to stay if they have a positive experience in our city." In addition to the wide range of musical performers, CollegeFest will also include a companion Philadelphia Village designed to bring college students together to experience what Philadelphia offers as a place to live and work. Penn student groups and staff members will join Philadelphia organizations at festival booths to pass out information about local jobs and internships, housing options, recreational activities and cultural venues available in the city.

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