The view of Founder’s Park on Saturday was every student’s dream: beanbag chairs to lounge in on the lawn, food trucks of every kind lining Trousdale and good music constantly filling the air. Though this unfortunately isn't a normal occurrence on campus, it does happen once a year; this sight was the product of KXSC Fest, the annual music festival hosted by USC’s independent, student-run radio station, KXSC.           

The Fest pulled out all the stops for its seventh year, focusing on giving attendees a full-on festival experience.

“USC’s concert scene, from Conquest to Springfest, lacks that festival lounging experience," said Alex Zhang, Director of Sponsorship for KXSC. "At the big concerts on McCarthy, it's great that they can bring in such big names, but we wanted to create that festival atmosphere so that people would have something to do between acts.” 

Zhang, along with other volunteers at the radio station, put on the festival for a mere $30,000, a grand feat for an event of this size. KXSC gathered this money for the festival through fundraisers throughout the year. In addition, sponsors either paid for their booth or gave part of their profit back to the organization.

READ MORE: KXSC Fest: Not Your Average Music Festival

Festivalgoer Tiffany Dayemo appreciated the vibe that KXSC Fest offered.

“This festival was definitely a place to try something new,” she said. “It provided a great environment to interact with other USC students you wouldn’t otherwise meet.”

Though the main stage was forced inside Bovard Auditorium because of the possibility of rain (which ended up being a good call when the skies opened at 7:30), the show went on both inside and out. Here's what was going on at USC’s own music festival.

Digital Detox Lounge

Donned in tea lights, lanterns and CD mobiles, the Digital Detox Lounge stood as a space to look up from your phone for a few minutes and interact with those around you.  Upon entering, one had to recite a pledge to put away any technology while inside.

“I will only take mental snaps,” the pledge stated. “Because those memories last longer anyways.”

The comfy patch of grass in Founder’s Park featured plenty of lounging space, from borrowed futons to gigantic beanbags. A game of Jenga was always on and at one point, a “festival-wide” yoga class took place in the chill little nook.

I found Harriet Arnold relaxing in the Digital Detox Lounge, enjoying the atmosphere and the company that came and went.

“It’s super that this space was set aside,” she said. “It’s nice to get a away from technology and just chat with people. It’s so much better than just standing in a crowd waiting for the next artist like you would at other music events.”

The Digital Detox Lounge also had a tapestry-clad “Tea Tent,” strewn with books for conversation starters and – you guessed it – a teakettle, mugs and different types of tea.

The Altar Collective

The Altar Collective is a small press and art collective that “believes in the physical book,” according to founder and editor-in-chief Katie Hogan. It ensures that literature and poetry don’t lose their in-print magic in the technological age.

The Altar Collective’s booth at KXSC Fest had information on their organization as well as a secondary stage, where aspiring poets and musicians could take part in an open mic throughout the festival.

For more information on the Altar Collective, visit their website here.

Dare Tree and Live Art

The Dare Tree was one of the more interactive parts of the festival. Participants picked a “Dare Card” tied to a chain on the tree and had to execute the dare written immediately. So, if you heard someone belting One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” at the top of her lungs on Trousdale, yes, that was me becoming the Dare Tree’s next unwilling participant.

Another main installation of the festival involved live art on Trousdale. Murals and a huge robot statue transformed throughout the day as artists covered them in paint. The beauty of these pieces was that one would go into Bovard for the main event and come out to see a completely different piece of art. 

Main Stage

Though not what the people at KXSC originally intended for the main stage, Bovard Auditorium created a lively atmosphere for the main acts. Even the early acts encountered an energetic audience they could easily interact with during their set.

The lineup included DJ Dodger Stadium, De Lux, Lavashark, Talk In Tongues, Gamebrand, Muna and Airlife. While the bands set up, KXSC had DJs mixing on a turntable to keep the music going.

It was slightly disappointing to be deprived of the key to a true outdoor festival, an outdoor concert, but KXSC made the right call sacrificing aesthetic for a full lineup. The rain came in halfway through the festival, and if the coordinators hadn’t made that call, DJ Dodger Stadium, De Lux, and Lavashark probably wouldn’t have played at all. 

To learn more about KXSC or any of the artists featured at KXSC Fest, visit the KXSC website here.

Contact Staff Reporter Alana Bracken here and follow her on Twitter here.