The Spring Fling concert may be moved from Franklin Field to Wynn Commons this year.
The Social Planning and Events Committee is considering a change in locale due to student complaints and high costs for producing concerts at Franklin Field, SPEC concerts director Tom Kurland said.
Franklin Field is "a depressing place for bands to play," the College senior added. "We want to change the venue to something more intimate."
The capacity for Wynn Commons is approximately 2,500 people, and tickets may be limited if the venue is used.
Only PennCard holders would be able to buy tickets, and a lottery system would be used if the demand exceeded capacity.
However, guest passes may be available on a limited basis for students with friends visiting.
If the concert were to sell out, a video screen and sound system would be placed on College Green to let students without tickets to view the concert.
Nonetheless, Kurland said the probability of selling more than the allotted 2,500 tickets is slim.
"There hasn't been a huge demand," Kurland said, noting that the concert has not sold over 2,500 tickets in recent Spring Fling history.
Before moving to Franklin Field in 2003, Spring Fling was routinely held on Hill Field.
However, the addition of the walkway, trees and a new irrigation system to the field in the last two years caused the University to reconsider its use.
According to Facility Services' Urban Park manager Kris Kealey, trucks are not allowed to drive on the field due to the risk of grass- and irrigation-system damage.
Without trucks and forklifts, setup must be done with human labor, which is drastically more expensive and time-consuming.
Franklin Field happened to be the best available venue that could accommodate the crowd with such short notice.
"In a perfect world, Hill Field is the best venue we could have, but the University has made it cost-prohibitive," Kurland said.
However, the production cost at Franklin Field is also high. Last year, SPEC spent nearly $64,000 of its $141,000 budget on production costs.
"The costs are so high that we can only afford to do one big show," Kurland said.
According to Kurland, SPEC used to hold three concerts per year when facility costs were lower.
Although SPEC has not determined the production cost for a concert at Wynn Commons, Kurland predicted that it would be less.
Student reaction to the potential change of venues is mixed.
"I think it should stay in Franklin Field," Wharton sophomore Angela Bianco said. "It's probably not big enough to have in Wynn Commons."
Wharton junior Paul Bonanno also said he worries that Wynn Commons will not accommodate enough people.
"Spring Fling is supposed to be for everyone," Bonanno said.
However, College senior Rachel Meadows said she thinks that Franklin Field is just too big.
"It's really distant from the artists, and it just feels a lot less personal," Meadows said.
