Flynnfest returns at SJU for second year in a row
In the afternoon on May 10, the second annual Flynnfest will be held at SJU and hosted by CSLE.
“Flynnfest,” an on-campus event involving food trucks, music and a beer garden, will take place for the second year from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday in the Seton Courtyard.
Flynnfest was started in 2024 by SJU junior and Center for Student Leadership & Engagement (CSLE) coordinator Kobe Forbes. Forbes shared that over 500 students were in attendance at Flynnfest last year on April 20. This year, he hopes for similar levels of attendance.
Similar to last year, this event takes place on Case Day, a day students have historically dedicated to drinking a whole case (24-pack) of alcoholic beverages within 24 hours. Forbes shared that part of the inspiration for the event came from creating a safe place for students to legally and responsibly consume alcohol on campus while still having a good time.
“The fear surrounding social events is always the overconsumption of alcohol and misbehavior of a few students, but the apparent solution has always been to not allow the event to happen,” Forbes said. “To me, trying to stop it never worked, so what if we tried to regulate it? That is when the idea for Flynnfest came about — an event where students participating or not in Case Day can come and socialize as a community — one of our Benedictine values — and be surrounded by food and water.”
This year, Forbes said the food trucks include a more diverse selection, and popular vendors from last year’s event will return. The number of food vouchers has also increased to 800. There will also be several water and Gatorade stations throughout the event space.
Forbes shared his passion for creating space on campus for safe, fun and engaging 21+ parties on campus and hopes this will continue to be a good example of this experience.
“Being the student activities representative for the St. John’s Senate, Johnnies would constantly ask me, ‘What does the senate do?’ or ‘Can you bring back parties on campus?’ After hearing these questions, I wanted to be the senator to make a change and do something that my peers wanted to see happen,” Forbes said.
Events on campus have historically not drawn large student attendance, and numbers were particularly lacking from Johnnies. By hosting this event on the St. John’s campus and getting students involved in the planning process, the hope is that these numbers will continue to increase. Forbes shared that seniors were also involved in the planning process, particularly in selecting the live band that will be performing at Flynnfest this year: Guytano, a local band from the Twin Cities.
Aaron Voth, director of CSLE, shared his hopes of student enjoyment at this year’s Flynnfest.
“I hope they have fun gathering in community and celebrating the end of another fantastic school year,” Voth said.
Forbes echoed these sentiments and shared the importance of students’ willingness to step up and advocate for what they are passionate about.
“One of my goals is for students to realize that there is potential to create events like Flynnfest if they want it — they just need to try, and I hope it inspires them to go for it. Additionally, I hope Flynnfest provides students with some of the excitement that they have been asking for,” Forbes said.
Forbes also expressed his hopes that this event will further inspire administration to continue to listen to students and find continued areas of collaboration throughout the years.
“My main goal is not for students but for the administration to see what the student community needs and wants. The turnout of this event is what they should use and compare to other events to see what type of events truly interest the student body. Additionally, I hope this event fosters more student and administration collaborations,” Forbes said.
