ST. CHARLES, MO. — Lindenwood University students will take center stage April 17 as the second annual Linden Woodstock music festival returns to the Evans Commons Lawn, featuring an all-student lineup, free food and expanded activities.
The event, organized by the Campus Activities Board and the Music Business Program, is free to students and aims to build on the success of its inaugural year.
Greta Kehres, a junior music business major and student organizer, said this year’s festival will highlight student performers exclusively.
“This year, all of the bands are all student bands, so anybody who’s in a band at school auditioned and was able to perform,” Kehres said. “It’s really cool.”
The shift reflects a move away from last year’s inclusion of an outside artist and toward a stronger emphasis on campus talent.
“It’d be more fun to have your friends,” she said. “You get to watch them and see what they do.”
The festival will run throughout the evening, beginning at 4 p.m., with a lineup that includes Jenalei, Kings of Yesterday, Woodland Drive, MME, Creysi, Spencer Atwood and Exscend. DJ Aidan will perform between sets.
Organizers said the event will also feature food trucks and activities designed to keep students engaged beyond the music. Free food will be available from Kona Ice, Wok & Roll and Duchess Rose, while early attendees can receive free T-shirts, glitter tattoos and raffle entries for concert tickets.
Kehres said organizers made several improvements after learning from last year’s event, including more intentional planning around food and music selection.
“We asked multiple students, ‘What do you want to hear? What kind of music do you like?’” she said. “Because if you don’t like it, then we’re not going to have people playing that.”
While many of the bands lean toward an indie style, Kehres said the lineup still offers variety, including two cover bands.
“One of the cover bands is very ‘dad rock’ music everybody knows,” she said. “And then the other one is popular music that people know.”
In addition to music, Kehres said the expanded programming is meant to create a more dynamic experience.
“There’s going to be lots of food. There’s a lot of games that we’re having, and there’s just going to be constant movement,” she said. “If you don’t like the song that you’re listening to, there’ll be other activities.”
The idea for Linden Woodstock began as a classroom project in which music business students were tasked with designing a festival. Kehres said the concept quickly evolved into a campus-wide event.
“We were like, ‘We can actually do this,’” she said.
About 15 core student organizers have worked on planning and promotion since last semester, with additional volunteers expected to assist on the day of the event. Kehres said marketing efforts have also increased this year.
“We have been marketing the heck out of this event,” she said. “We’re trying so hard.”
Kehres and her fellow organizers hope the event continues to grow into a lasting campus tradition for years to come.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Kehres said. “The entire event is just like 10 times better.”
