A Kent State University tradition for 36 years, the annual Black Squirrel Festival will take place Friday, Sept. 8, from noon-5 p.m. on the Student Green and Risman Plaza. The Black Squirrel Festival, which is hosted by Kent Student Center Programming, attracts more than 3,000 students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the Kent community.
The Black Squirrel Festival offers students a chance to learn about student organizations, explore different university departments and learn more about the Kent community. Local vendors will have everything from coupons to clothing and jewelry and of course more free stuff. Many of the more than 400 student organizations will be set up at the event to recruit new members and encourage students to get involved.
The first 2,500 people to the event will receive a Black Squirrel Festival T-shirt.
This is the event of the year in terms of free stuff. In addition to the T-shirts, Kent Student Center Programming will be giving away sunglasses, fidget spinners and more. Plus, many of the student organizations and vendors offer freebies for stopping by their table. The Kent State food truck, Fork in the Road, will be serving up some festival favorites. Dining plans are valid at the food truck. A disc jockey will spin music favorites throughout the event.
Carly Evans, event planner for Kent Student Center Programming, said the Black Squirrel Festival is going to be a must-attend event this year, particularly for those who missed out on the opportunity to meet with student organizations at Blastoff.
“Black Squirrel Festival is a great opportunity for students to learn more about the Kent community as a whole,” Evans said. “You can visit any student organizations you missed at Blastoff, and you really can’t pass up all the music, inflatables and giveaways!”
Kent Student Center Programming’s popular late night movie program, Real Late Reels, will be showing Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” at 9 p.m. The movie will be projected drive-in-movie-style on the Student Green.
If it rains during the day, the festival will move indoors to the ballroom on the second floor of the Kent Student Center, and the movie will be shown at 9 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva.