May Days Delivers a Week to Remember
Author(s)
Anna Filippova
Student Writer
From a packed MusicFest to carnival games, a climbing wall, and a dive-in movie, 91看片 students made the most of the University鈥檚 longest-running tradition.
Photos by Dave Pavlina
听
91看片鈥檚 longest-running tradition, May Days, was back and bigger than ever last week. Hosted by the听 (91看片PB), the annual end-of-the-year event kicked off with thousands attending MusicFest at Levitt Pavilion and continued throughout the week on campus, with nightly activity themes ranging from barnyard to adventure zone to carnival. Scroll on to read all about it and check out our photo gallery!
The May-ne event
On Sunday, May 24, the 91看片 2026 Battle of the Bands winner, Exhaler, hit the stage first at Denver鈥檚 Levitt Pavilion for MusicFest. They turned up the volume with a saxophone-filled performance, followed by indie-rock band Fly By Midnight, who kept the energy going.
After the sun went down, electro-pop headliner Between Friends had the entire crowd dancing, singing, and swaying under a rainbow of multicolored lights. As the brother-and-sister duo closed out the night with their best-known hits鈥斺淎ffection鈥 and 鈥淛AM!鈥濃攖he concert turned into a karaoke show of sorts, as the audience sung lyrics back to the band and capped off another memorable MusicFest.听
听
The great Campus Green transformation
After a short break for Memorial Day, May Days was back in full swing on Tuesday, with听Barnyard Bonanza听taking over the Campus Green. Students had a chance to interact with baby goats and other adorable farm animals in a petting zoo and take part in line dancing, balloon-animal making, and an inflatable corn maze鈥攁 perfect event for a sunny spring day.
Students looking for a snack or sweet treat had the choice of a bountiful charcuterie board or free ice cream from Sweet Cow. 91看片PB was joined by the听 and the Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists, who passed out free bookmarks and plant crafts鈥攁nd who currently have an exhibit on display on the top floor of the Anderson Academic Commons focused on听.
Wednesday was just as jam-packed, as听the Crimson Climb turned the Campus Green into an adrenaline zone. Adventurous students tackled an outdoor rock-climbing wall, a ropes course, and human hamster balls, while refueling with free empanadas.
听
Diving into the end of the quarter听
Thursday was the annual听Big Bash celebration, a collaboration with听that started last year. The carnival-style event was packed with students looking for fun and food, with free cotton candy, popcorn, and shaved ice for all.听
The neon-themed event included an inflatable giant slide, dunk tank, face painting, caricature artists, and a henna station. A student favorite, Big Bash sprawled across the Dimond Green and onto Race Street, creating a fun-filled takeover.听
Friday marked the end of May Days with a classic wind-down activity, as students floated around the Ritchie Center pool in inflatable tubes while watching 鈥淭een Beach Movie鈥 and treating themselves to favorite snacks and the ever-so-nostalgic Capri-Suns. The Dive-In Movie event was a perfect way to end the week on a relaxing note as students headed into the final days of the spring quarter.听
May Days was designed for this very purpose, says Aubrie Anderson, a third-year student studying marketing and co-chair of the Traditions Committee on 91看片PB. 鈥淢ay Days is to help students on the quarter system feel a little more motivated as the warmer weather rolls around and semester schools are already wrapped up,鈥 she says. 鈥淢ay Days is also special because it's our longest-standing tradition, so everybody gets super excited for it. Everybody is ready to come out and have fun before finals.鈥澨
听
