The Student Union at San Diego State University transformed into a vibrant hub of creativity as campus club, Kolorhouse, a group for creatives and the SDSU chapter of the national organization, hosted its annual festival, “Kolorfest” on April 21.
From 3 to 7 p.m., students and art enthusiasts alike flocked to the event, immersing themselves in a diverse array of artistic expressions.
This is the club’s third year of putting on the elaborate event, which included fashion vendors, a photo op area, free food, live music, a drag show and a fashion show.
“I just want attendees to leave with an ounce more of inspiration and be exposed to a creative side. Essentially, I just want people to come out of here with more of an open mind,” Morgan Linglet, the vice president, said. “Creativity needs to be brought up a lot more notches in our world, so I hope an event like this can inspire a lot of young entrepreneurs that want to pursue a creative route or people that are wanting to model.”
This event not only provides artistic inspiration for attendees but it also provides inspiration for all of the artists participating in the event.
“I really like how (Kolorhouse) brings together different communities within the whole creative world like art, fashion, music — this is a really cool event that brings that all together,” said Jayden Jackson, a band member of one of the performing groups, Misf!re.
Kolorfest kicked off its first performance of the afternoon with the Sirens of State, SDSU’s a cappella group, mesmerizing the audience with a captivating rendition of hits like Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” and Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know.”
While attendees watched performances, they were able to browse and shop from seven different vendors. This year’s included 0.5 collective, Self Fixated, MelPaintsNails, Sour City Vintage, G’s Garage Grails 88ACL and Spiral Studios. Shoppers were invited to explore a range of unique finds, including vintage apparel, sneakers, jewelry and false nails.
Head-bobbing and shoulder-swaying tunes by artists like Lady Gaga and Doja Cat filled the background amidst the sounds of clapping and hollering as the Drag@SDSU performers took center stage, energizing the audience with their captivating performance.
“We have a variety of live bands. A bunch of local SD bands,” Linglet said. “They are very popular throughout our community. They do house shows nearby so a lot of us (campus community) know who they are.”
One could feel the excitement and engagement from the crowd as the beloved bands, Wybi, Coast Red, Misf!re and Russ BLVD played their sets from the afternoon to the evening. The bands’ sets ranged from calming melodies to powerful, all-encompassing headbangers.
In between the sets of bands, the fashion show took place, with models strutting and wearing garments featuring this year’s themes of camp and metallics.
“I really enjoyed the metallic and all of the looks were really good (in the fashion show),” Griffin Mason, an SDSU kinesiology alum, said. “There were a bunch of cool bands and vendors. The club is super cool and it’s run by really cool people, and yeah, it was just a lot of fun.”
To keep up with Kolorhouse, follow their Instagram.
