Fun began on the Peace Quad as students gathered together for rides, food and games during this year’s Spring Fling. The festival portion ran from 1 to 5 p.m., followed by a concert, beginning at 6 p.m., that featured headliner Neon Trees and openers Husband Material and Laundry Day.

The event was organized by the Student Association’s Programming Board (SAPB). Food trucks, including Birdsong Cafe and Macarollin, lined a parking lot by the Peace Quad, where students waited in long lines to ride the Gravitron and the Swizzler — rides that made a comeback from last year’s Spring Fling. Classic carnival treats, like deep-fried Oreos, caramel apples and funnel cake were sold in old-fashioned themed food trucks in front of the Library Tower.

Danna Kutcher, the SAPB’s concerts chair and a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, described the logistics of planning the concert, a long-awaited event every year.

“The most difficult part of planning is probably handling all of the moving parts,” Kutcher wrote in an email. “There are a lot of small details that go into the event, such as making sure the artists and [Binghamton Sound, Stage and Lighting] have everything they need, there’s enough water, every lot and room is reserved, and a lot of small details that can slip through the cracks if you’re not on top of it. Thankfully, I had the most amazing team to help me with everything needed and this was one of the smoothest concerts I’ve been a part of.”

Student organizations tabled along the Spine and the walkway by Marketplace. They had games and offered information to students passing by. Green, pink and blue balloons and bouquets of colorful feathers lined the stairs from the University Union up to the Spine — which also featured classic carnival games to win stuffed animal prizes and vendors along Harpur’s Quad.

Despite the intermittent rain, the crowd kept their energy alive for the Spring Fling concert as BU’s own Husband Material, a student group that won this year’s Battle of the Bands, opened the show with cover songs by artists like Jungle and Amy Winehouse. After, LAUNDRY DAY took the stage for an energetic performance. They closed their act by covering Miley Cyrus’s “Party In The U.S.A.”

The headliners, Neon Trees, evoked nostalgia with a booming set as they amped up the crowd. They performed hits like “Animal,” “1983” and “Everybody Talks,” setting the tone for a great end-of-year sendoff.

“This semester was probably the easiest decision yet, since Neon Trees won the survey by a landslide,” Kutcher wrote. “We were so happy when they were available, and it was clear that this survey was an accurate reflection of the student body by the amazing turnout of the concert.”

Neon Trees ended the show by bringing LAUNDRY DAY back onto the stage for the final song of the night — the band’s most popular song “Everybody Talks” — as they came together to sing, scream and dance together. Chris Allen, Neon Trees’ lead guitarist, told Pipe Dream why he loved performing for live audiences.

“I grew up going to live events and watching bands, and I just always wanted to do that,” Allen said. “I didn’t think that I’d ever get the chance to do it as a career or anything, but you know, in high school and after that I played with people. This is really just amazing that I could do this.”

Though she will graduate at the end of the year, Kutcher expressed her aspirations for future SAPB events and concerts.

“For next year’s planning, I’m looking forward to seeing more creative ideas to make each year better than the last,” Kutcher wrote. “While I won’t be a student anymore, I know that SAPB will continue to bring the most amazing events for the student body, and I can’t wait to see it.”