What Slaughterama can teach the ‘Springfest’ disaster

Robert Showah

Contributing Writer

This spring, students at James Madison University and Virginia Commonwealth University were able to attract huge crowds to annual mega-parties, though they were very different from each other. But after the events that took place at James Madison this past weekend, it is clear that if Richmond’s Slaughterama continues next year, it can learn a few things from the Springfest buzz-kill.

You’ve seen it headlining your Facebook news feeds and local newspapers. Springfest at J-Maddy while to students might have been “epic” was an ultimate disaster, you know, in the realm of attracting a SWAT team to the Shenandoah Valley. An annual block party with a couple thousand attendants turned into something of a miniature Woodstock 69’ for a university known for it’s partying. The riot was complete with beer bottles and rocks being chucked at shielded law enforcement that rightfully resorted to using tear gas to eradicate the flock of unreasoned anger.

JMU President Linwood Rose acknowledged that despite how violent the party got, it was not likely caused by JMU students.  Rose went on to condemn the actions and explain how it reflected poorly on the university’s reputation.  Apparently the people who organized Springfest didn’t think through much of their own plan.  Here are just a few things Springfest organizers can learn from Richmond’s own annual shindig called Slaughterama.  Before I get into the lessons that can be learned from the Springfest disaster, let me briefly explain this Richmond staple.

Slaughterama consists of hipsters, their bikes, dirt and Pabst Blue Ribbon. It is an annual tradition that includes Richmond’s hipster population concentrating on Belle Isle to drink, get dirty, and more importantly compete in defying bicycle warning labels and gravity at the same time. Other activities include jousting that takes place when two cyclists charge at each other on double-decker bikes. In recent years, however, there has been talk that 2010 was the final Slaughterama due to it’s increased popularity.  Now, the lessons Slaughterama can teach Springfest:

1.) Don’t Facebook event the massive party

I don’t have to tell hipsters and the folks at Slaughterama this, they love their obscure, anti-mainstream, anti-conformist interests and hip gatherings they attend that you only find out about if you’re cool enough to and just “get it.” The best parties are spread without social networking. Enough people attend Slaughterama as it is, and if you Facebook event it, then you will surely get a healthy flock of losers from other universities and even other states – like was the case with Springfest – that are going to set dumpsters on fire and ruin everything for everyone. Keep being cool, Slaughterama.  Keep it on the down low.

2.) Keep your location on isolated territory

A lot of fuss from students who thought “Springfest 2010” was the coolest thing since sliced bread should probably consider telling the organizers of the event to hold it somewhere else. It isn’t as though there is a staggering population density up in Rockingham County.  Richmond is privileged enough to be able to find a place like Belle Isle in a dense city where Slaughterama can take place. I’m not sure where the solution for “Springfest 2011” is but I can sure as hell tell you that if you plan on inviting 8,000 people – many of whom don’t go to your university – you ought to not hold it on a private residential property in broad, beautiful and cloudless daylight across the street from the university itself.

3.) Continue to keep VCU’s name out of Slaughterama

VCU and Slaughterama are not associated, but it does attract a notable portion of VCU’s students. Not to say that VCU’s reputation would be shattered if Slaughterama were next to it, but if Slaughterama experienced the turnout Springfest did, VCU President Michael Rao would be putting out the same statement as President Rose.  Springfest could have very well been publicized without JMU’s name on it and still receive the turnout that it did. I don’t entirely understand why students are giving President Rose flack for knocking their behavior.  I’d be ticked off if I ever held the prestige of being the president of a university only to find out that an event with my school’s name on it was accompanied by a tear gas and the presence of a SWAT team.  Rose has a good reason to be pissed. He knows Springfest happens every year and police officers know it happens. They know JMU’s party reputation and they are very much aware of the “drunk bus” but have allowed students to be a little free and go wild in college.  At some point though, someone in his position has to condemn the out of control behavior that occurred this weekend.

With those said, on a final note, if JMU plans to have their little party next year, it ought to have a plan to either handle 8,000+ people and keep them from going totally insane or reject most out-of-towners and tone the party down to what it was in years past.  Otherwise constantly getting busted is going to continue to get old, is going to reduce JMU’s reputation from a school that knows how to party and excel academically to one that just knows how to party.