Concerts Committee creates first Springfest after-party


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USC Concerts Committee announced Post-Fest, the first-ever official after-party for Springfest. The event will admit students ages 18 and up and will sell alcohol to students who are at least 21 years old. (Daily Trojan file photo)

USC Concerts Committee is organizing Post-Fest, the first-ever official after-party to Springfest, which will take place at Free Play, a bar in Exposition Park on March 30. The event will serve alcohol and admit students ages 18 and up, according to the official Facebook event page.

“The Post-Fest is kind of like a place for you to go after Springfest if you don’t want to turn in for the evening,” said Concerts Committee Director Kira Stiers, a senior majoring in international relations and political science. “Our shows end kind of early … and a lot of kids like to go out afterward.”  

Post-Fest will include a DJ, arcade with classic games, complimentary snacks and drinks and cocktails and beers for purchase. Though the event will admit students 18 and over, they will be required to show ID to purchase alcoholic beverages.

“If you’re not 21, a lot of the bars around here you can’t get into,” Stiers said. “I think it’s great that [Post-Fest] is all ages; we want people to have options other than just going back to their apartment or heading back to their dorm if they’re under 21.”  

In an email to the Daily Trojan, Free Play addressed concerns regarding the presence of alcohol at Post-Fest.

“We will double our security personnel for the evening to help prevent and monitor potential underage drinking, as well as ensure that the venue is safe for all students,” Free Play wrote. “We have doubled our staff and operations team for the evening to help promote safe conduct, monitor all guests activity and ensure all students are in a safe environment.”

Stiers said the committee works closely with the Department of Public Safety, Contemporary Services Corporation and Apex -— a crowd management and security company — to ensure the event is safe for all students.

Some students said they anticipate the after-party will be a success.

“I’d expect a lot of party people to go [to Post-Fest],” said Joel Jimenez, a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering. “We’re a party school.”

Free Play wrote that it will offer other amenities to encourage a variety of students to attend.

“We have been working closely to ensure that it will appeal to the students and incentivize to come by after the event, such as the complimentary snacks buffet, entry and a DJ spinning,” Free Play wrote. “[Free Play is] a unique fun location with arcade and classic games to add to the experience.”

Because Post-Fest is the first event of its kind, Stiers said it was organized at the last minute.

“We had reached out to some other local venues and bars and we didn’t get anyone interested and then Free Play DTLA actually came along like two weeks ago maybe and offered their venue,” Stiers said. “So it’s been kind of a quick turn-around but they’ve been really accommodating.”