Campus primed for Spring Fling celebrations

"The Sweetest Fling" is just a few days away, and the event's organizers are working hard to make sure it's every bit as sweet as possible. The Social Planning and Events Committee has made all arrangements for this year's Spring Fling, and this week is set aside for checking details. "Things look incredible," SPEC Fling Committee Co-Director and College junior Christina Chiew said. "It is mostly anticipation at this point." Although the weekend may start Thursday night for many students, the official Spring Fling events begin Friday morning. All day Friday and Saturday, the Quadrangle will be full of music, games and food. Beginning at 11 a.m. on Friday, Penn performing arts groups and student bands will be performing non-stop in both Upper and Lower Quad until 5:30 p.m. Some of these groups include Onda Latina, Penn Jazz, Quaker Notes, Pennsylvania Six-5000 and The Ally. Every year, Mask and Wig closes the Fling celebration on Saturday afternoon with a performance in lower Quad. This year, there will also be a special appearance by '80s pop star Tiffany in the middle of the day on Saturday. The highlight of Fling weekend is always the Friday night concert organized by SPEC Concerts. This year, Ben Harper will headline the show, following an opening performance by Black Eyed Peas. According to SPEC Concerts Co-Director and College senior Matt Dicker, tickets for the concert are selling very well. The committee has already sold roughly 2,000 tickets and is expecting a big increase this week, as has been the pattern in prior years. Last year was the first concert in five years to be held outdoors, which generated a positive response from audience members. Pending good weather, this year's concert is scheduled to be held outside under the stars again on Hill Field. The yearly Spring Fling musical, which runs Thursday through Saturday nights will be Into the Woods, courtesy of Quadramics. The Saturday night carnival is moving to Wynn Commons and will be followed by a pancake breakfast at Class of 1920 Commons. Also on Saturday night, Sony Pictures will preview A Knight's Tale for free at midnight at Cinemagic on Walnut Street. According to Chiew, all of the preparations for Fling have been made, and this last week committee members are calling bands and companies to confirm and just double-checking details. The event planning entailed contacting entertainment companies, renting stages and lining up corporate sponsorship. "This is also our week to publicize heavily on the Penn campus," Chiew said.

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