Day one of Frontier Fiesta focused mainly on the long-running tradition of Variety Shows by different fraternities and sororities and the Step Shows. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Day 1, Variety Shows
The annual spring festival at UH, Frontier Fiesta, was organized from Thursday through Saturday last week.
The student-led carnival opened Thursday evening at the TDECU stadium parking lot and was free for all students and non-students. The theme for Thursday was “Era’s Night.”
Day one of Frontier Fiesta focused mainly on the long-running tradition of Variety Shows by different fraternities and sororities and the Step Shows.
“We really had great preparation, leaders and influences,” said accounting junior and member of Kappa Sigma | Pi-Epsilon James Pemberton. “I think we did really well during our show and I feel like our next shows are going to be even better.”
The theme for this year’s Variety Show was “Old Hollywood” and the winners were “Hollywood by Frame” performed by Alpha Chi Omega and Pi Kappa Phi – Beta Nu.
Students feel that variety shows help people connect with the university and community better, and is one of the most fun aspects of the annual carnival.
“I am glad that we are able to come together as organizations and be able to band together and create something fun that everyone can watch and participate in,” said computer science freshman and member of Delta Gamma Saylor Cutting.
Although participants like Cutting and Pemberton enjoyed themselves a lot, a few hiccups still occurred during the festival.
“We did have a lot of miscommunication between our organization and the Fiesta board,” Cutting said. “I don’t really know because I’m a freshman but I have heard a lot from upperclassmen say how unorganized Fiesta has been this year, but communication is key and we can always improve that.”
Attendees appreciate the different tents built along with the live music and other interactive activities, like the Ferris wheel.
Students and participants feel that Frontier Fiesta is something unique to UH because not many campuses organize events like these, according to Cutting.
The carnival also had different fraternity and sorority tents, a bungee run, #IAMUH hosted by the Center for Student Advocacy and Community and Cultural Fiesta hosted by the Council for Cultural Activities
“Fiesta was great, I got to hang out with my friends and have fun,” Pemberton said. “UH has given me everything that I needed and I think so far we’re good.”
Student attendance was high and student energy was higher than expected, according to Frontier Fiesta chair and public relations junior Bailey Payne.
“I’m pretty happy with how that first day has gone and really liked that we had the Step Show on the first day because that’s something that everyone always really enjoys,” Payne said. “I hope everyone who came out to Fiesta had a really great time.”
Day 2, Latin Night, Paul Wall
Wall performed hits such as “Break Em’ Off,” “Ice Man” and “Drive Slow,” the latter of which has nearly 80 million streams on Spotify. | Emma Christensen/ The Cougar
The highlight of day two was Latin Night where students gathered around the Bud Light Stage for an energetic performance from rapper and former UH student Paul Wall.
Wall performed hits such as “Break Em’ Off,” “Ice Man” and “Drive Slow,” the latter of which has nearly 80 million streams on Spotify.
In 2022, the University partnered with Wall, Bun B and XO to create “Red Alert,” a UH-centered track for the football team’s introduction video, although Wall didn’t perform it.
In between songs, Wall interacted with the crowd and talked about his time at UH and the impact it had on him.
Public policy freshman Vincent Fumey-Nassah hadn’t heard of Wall before but still enjoyed his set. Fumey-Nassah also enjoyed spending time with friends and singing karaoke.
“I thought it was fun, I thought it was nice,” Fumey-Nassah said.
For some, like mechanical engineering senior Mateo Cannata, the Greek life tents were the focal point.
“I just feel like there’s more to do socially over there,” Cannata said. “There’s a lot of people over there, there’s drinks, there’s a lot of food there too.”
Cannata also enjoyed karaoke and the silent disco from the previous night.
Throughout the night, variety shows from fraternities and sororities were held at the Willie Burns Saloon.
With different takes on popular movies, the performances entailed Hollywood: Frame by Frame, Fiesta in the Rain, West Side Story, The Wizard of Houston, Dirty Dancing, Lost in the Silver Screen and A Night with the Mob.
In between performances, attendees could also make friendship bracelets and slime, sing karaoke, compete in an esports tournament and test their knowledge of trivia.
The night also saw performances from While Spirits Sleep, Chanel Drip and The Urbans, with Chris Aguilar closing out the night.
A Fiesta classic is the food available, which Fumey-Nassah and Cannata both said they enjoyed. Notable options included funnel cakes, fried pickles and turkey legs, all served by Fresh Fork.
Day 3, J.I.D Concert
J.I.D’s hard-hitting lyrics, quick cadence, inspirational sounds and samples from classic funk and soul music had fans on their feet throughout the evening.| Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
The final day of Fiesta Day 3 highlighted various events but none more anticipated than the Fiesta Concert at the Fertitta Center.
This year’s Fiesta headliner concert showcased East Atlanta rapper, singer and J. Cole’s Dreamville Records artist J.I.D., along with opener and co-headliner, Elevator Days, a local indie-pop band.
J.I.D went on stage at 9 p.m. and hyped up the crowd early. He opened with a few bangers like “NEVER” from his 2017 album “The Never Story” as well as “Raydar” and “Dance Now” from his latest album, “The Forever Story.”
His hard-hitting lyrics, quick cadence, inspirational sounds and samples from classic funk and soul music had fans on their feet throughout the evening.
Throughout his performance, J.I.D. discussed celebrating the 4/20 holiday by partaking in smoke sessions around campus, even boasting he smoked near the Cullen fountains. He even took breaks between songs to catch up on the L.A. Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets playoff game, updating fans on the score, a game he said he had bet money on.
After a few hype songs to get the crowd going, he slowed things down and played some of his slow jams including “Kody Blue” and “Stars.”
J.I.D. surpassed his time given and performed three extra tracks for fans in attendance. In his last few songs, he played fan favorites like “Surround Sound,” featuring 21 Savage, “151 Rum” and “Costa Rica,” before ending the night with “Wells Fargo.”
His closing songs left the crowd in a roar of cheers as the Atlanta rapper thanked those in attendance and left the stage for the final time.
Political science junior Ty Burgos said this year’s musical guests were the best yet in his time attending the festival with this being his third.
“I thought this concert and headliner was the best in the past couple of years,” Burgos said.
Aside from the musical guests, Burgos said he enjoyed the transition from TDECU stadium to the Fertitta Center because it improved the vibes and acoustics.
“I think having it enclosed made the sound a lot better,” he said. “A lot of times TDECU sounds kind of empty, so I think having it in a more intimate setting was much better.”
