After a Dillo Day filled with carnival festivities and hours of live music by the Lakefill, pop singer Natasha Bedingfield called on the crowd to do one last thing: feel the rain on their skin. The skies may have cleared, but Bedingfield’s performance of her 2004 hit “Unwritten” capped off the festival’s 53rd rendition.
Thousands of Northwestern students and guests attended Dillo Day on Saturday, participating in festival programming and listening to the lineup of artists, who performed setlists spanning electronic, indie, rap, R&B and pop music.
Dillo Day’s musical lineup kicked off with performances by student artists who earned their spots through Mayfest Productions’ Battle of the Artists competition. Inertia, an all-female indie-rock band, opened the main stage. They were quickly followed by student DJ Perl mixing tracks live on stage.
Originally scheduled to perform as Dillo’s daytime headliner, BigXthaPlug was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict, as his agency double-booked him for another festival in Alabama. Mayfest Productions announced the late-hour cancellation on the morning of the festival. In response, the booking team secured rapper and hip-hop artist iann dior as a replacement headliner.
Weinberg senior Defne Deda and SESP senior Alex Kahn, co-chairs of Mayfest Productions, said that they had discovered the double-booking on Friday, just 24 hours prior to the festival’s commencement.
“This has never happened before, so a lot of our exec board was up until 2 a.m. working on the issue,” Kahn said. “We know how important BigX was to the student body, so we really wanted to get someone that students would also enjoy, given the constraints.”
Mayfest Productions began planning Dillo Day last summer, working directly with artist agencies and navigating complex scheduling. The final lineup is determined by budget, artist availability, student preferences and other factors.
That planning prowess came into play as soon as BigXthaPlug pulled out.
“We know that a lot of the audience are rap fans, so bringing iann dior really saved us within those last 24 hours,” Deda said. “We didn’t actually have a fully executed contract until about 10 minutes until he went on stage, but I think, despite the circumstances, we were able to navigate the difficulties.”
Subsequent afternoon performances consisted of DJs, electronic artist nimino, indie rock band Slow Pulp and Chicago-based R&B singer-songwriter Ravyn Lenae on the main stage.
Bedingfield’s one-hour set as the Dillo Day headliner featured hits such as “Pocketful of Sunshine” and “These Words,” as well as covers of other artists’ songs, including a special rendition of Prince’s “Purple Rain.”
Though Mayfest’s “Carnival Dillo” theme was announced prior to the artist lineup release, their attempts to transform the Lakefill with themed programming did not go unheeded. With the presence of minigames, photo booths, food trucks, face-painting and a carousel overseeing Lake Michigan, the activities and decorations stayed true to the carnival vision. In addition, many attendees dressed in fair-inspired attire. Many popular clothing choices included red- and white-striped clothing and clown costumes.
For upperclassmen with prior Dillo Day experience, a highlight of the day was reminiscing on previous years’ festivals and admiring Mayfest’s continuous endeavors to improve.
McCormick junior Haneen Awadelsayed said she was satisfied with the organization and programming for the festival’s 53rd iteration.
“I feel like this year is a lot more chill, especially compared to my freshman year, which was really hectic,” Awadelsayed said. “This Dillo’s lineup is a lot more relaxed so the vibe is quite chill, which I like a lot.”
Weinberg sophomore Maddox Short said that attending Dillo Day for the first time exceeded her expectations.
“I’m a transfer, and my previous school didn’t have anything like Dillo, so this is really fun for me,” Short said. “Out of the artist lineup, I only knew Natasha, but I was not expecting the performance she put on. Her vocals and charisma on stage just blew me away, and I think others would agree.”
Kahn and Deda said their promotional team, also in charge of monitoring social media and taking note of general opinions and atmosphere, shared perspectives on how students felt regarding the theme, lineup and programming.
Though students voiced disappointment on Instagram and Northwestern’s Fizz platform in the weeks leading up to the event, the overall outlook after the festivities shifted to praise Mayfest.
“Although there were doubts initially, everything I’ve seen has been really positive after Saturday, which is always great,” Kahn said. “At the end of the day, we do this for the student population, and that’s really all that matters.”
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— Natasha Bedingfield announced as Dillo Day headliner
— Carnival Dillo announced as theme of 53rd annual Dillo Day
