East Side Festival 2025
Join us for a celebration of the history and culture of the East Side! There will be food, art, a museum exhibit, and many other fun & family-friendly activities for cruft and current students alike!
RSVP
With our RSVP form:
👉 👉 👉 https://forms.gle/WqVbjwGE4tfjVnmV6 👈 👈 👈
Make sure you bring your MIT ID or government ID to check-in at the entrance.
Current MIT Undergrads do not need to RSVP.
Dates & Locations
ESF 2025 will be held on Friday, 25 April 2025 and Saturday, 26 April 2025.
On 25 April, we will host a small kickoff event 4:30-6:00pm at the W20 (student center) Weisner Gallery.
Due to rain, On 26 April, ESF will be 12:00-7:00 PM in LOBDELL (W20 2nd floor). Lunch will be provided!
Event Schedule
Friday:
4:30 - 6:00 PM: Kickoff Event, Weisner Student Art Gallery.
8:00 - 10:00 PM: Stata Ampitheater: Cruft Firejam, hosted by MIT Spinning Arts
Saturday:
12:00 - 6:00 PM: Lobdell Dining Hall: ESF Feast!
There will also be other activities, such as arts & crafts, hairdying, and painting.
2:00 PM: Cruft Sorytelling
Heads up: Steer Roast
Both Friday and Saturday night, the Senior House Alumni Corporation is hosting Steer Roast. Check their website for schedules and info!
FAQs
Is ESF the same as Steer Roast? If I register for one, do I still need to register for the other?
While happening in coordination, ESF and Steer Roast (link to Steer Roast’s webpage) are different events. Should you plan on attending both, you should register for them separately.
What if I missed the RSVP window, can I show up day-of?
While you can still show up day of, please RSVP (even if its just a day in advance).
Why isn't this happening in the East Campus courtyard?
East Campus is currently closed for renovations. Due to all the construction, we don’t have access to the courtyard :(
Why the change of date?
The traditional ESF/Roast weekend overlaps with SpringFest, the campus-wide concert featuring an outside artist. While this usually is not a problem when ESF is held in the EC courtyard, our space during EC renovations (DAPER Field A) is also used by SpringFest for their concert. To avoid conflicting with this event, ESF & Roast have shifted a week earlier. This is a temporary change and ESF weekend will (ideally) return to the first weekend of May once EC reopens next year.
Wait, East Campus is closed?!? Since when?! Oh no!
East Campus closed for renovations at the end of Spring 2023 and WILL reopen in Fall 2025. For an introduction to the renovations, please check out https://ec.mit.edu/renfaq. You can also check out the official MIT page on the EC renovation at https://studentlife.mit.edu/east-campus-renovation.
Can I still tour EC/visit the courtyard/walk the halls?
Unfortunately, no. However, right before the dorm closed for renovations, someone made this video of them walking through all the halls. It’s not the same as walking through the dorm, but still worth checking out :’)
What is the art exhibit?
Current EC students have been working hard with the Wiesner Student Art Gallery to organize an exhibit to display former doors from East Campus. This exhibit is planned to be open during ESF and is open to alumni - please stop by and check it out!
What is a mural board?
Due to renovations, the walls will be blank when East Campus reopens in Fall 2025. We are working on painting mural boards that can be mounted immediately when we move back in. Some boards will be out at ESF, so help us decorate the future East Campus!
I still have so many questions!
That’s great! We are so happy to hear that alumni are invested in the current status of the East Side. East Side Festival is a great time to talk to undergrads and hear more about the current state of things :)
Giving to East Campus
As you know East Campus does a lot of things, including hosting the annual East Side Festival! ESF is always free to all attendees, and all costs are paid by East Campus. If you want to help us continue holding this event, please consider making a gift to East Campus on Giving to MIT. Even though its through the MIT giving website, all donations go directly to East Campus For other ways to donate, please reach out to ec-treasurer@mit.edu.
There will also be opportunities to buy merch or donate at ESF itself. Of course, gifts are not required, and you attendance at ESF is plenty of a gift by itself <3
Contact Us
If you have questions about event logistics or anything else you need answered, ESF chairs Hanu and Yabi can be reached at erotic-sausage-freaks@mit.edu.