St. John’s third annual “Stormin’ Loud” event graced the Great Lawn on April 26 with games, carnival rides and live music. Headliners for this year were rappers Cash Cobain and Swae Lee of “Rae Sremmurd.”
The festivities ran from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and were organized by the Resident Student Association, Student Programming, Student Government Inc., WSJU Radio and the Stormin’ Loud Planning Committee.
The event, only open to St. John’s students, offered three tiers of tickets: free general admission, an orange package worth $40 and a purple package worth $55. Anyone registered had the chance to bring a guest for an additional $30.
Students could ride the 75-ft Ferris Wheel that returned from last year’s event, along with the new, “Sizzler” thrill ride carousel.
In addition to the rides, students could purchase handmade jewelry and other trinkets from vendors and exclusive Stormin’ Loud merchandise. Friends could also compete against each other in games like a basketball shootout, foosball and ping pong.
Each attendee was given one free snack and food voucher upon entry. Starting at 5 p.m., food vouchers could be exchanged at the many food trucks around the Great Lawn, such as Island Empanadas, Uncle Gussy’s Greek Cuisine, The Halal Bistro (HUB), Stuf’d Gourmet Catering and Bel-Fries.
Popcorn, cotton candy and a snowcone from Kona Ice of Long Island could also be purchased with snack vouchers.
Student dance organizations such as Live Dance Crew and Sensación returned for the preshow, along with other local singers. Student performers Nani, Loudeye and Panagiotis were also on stage during the opening hours.
After the opening acts, the first headliner, Cash Cobain, performed to a rowdy St. John’s crowd.
Following Cobain by about 40 minutes, headliner Swae Lee came out to an excited audience. The artist sang massive hits like “Black Beatles” and “Powerglide,” proving his performance to be the highlight of the night.
With finals right on the horizon, this event offered closure to a long academic year for some students.
