By Nadia Ahmad |Staff Writer|
Q-Fest, hosted by the SMSU Pride Center, filled the Events Center with a mix of music, crafts, and vendors on Oct. 24.
The Pride Center’s goal is to provide a safe and comforting environment for students of all genders and sexualities.
Q-Fest did just that.
The Pride Center lured everyone to the events center with free pizza and live bands.
Wasi, a trio from Orange County, was the first band to perform and in my opinion, did an amazing job adding volume and energy to the room.
The band started out as background music for the students as they floated from vendor to vendor but after the first two songs, everyone crowded together in front of the stage and started dancing like there was no tomorrow.
Wasi has opened for many impressive contemporary bands recently such as Shiny Toy Guns and have played at famous venues in Los Angeles including The Echoplex and Silverlake Lounge.
The pop-punk group had a rebellious attitude and teenage angst mentality that really got the crowd growing.
It was incredible and pleasantly surprising to see how easily they got everyone dancing.
Something about these girls had everyone in the room hypnotized.
It was probably since they had no problem letting themselves completely loose on stage.
Their uplifting beats and endless energy was very reminiscent of duo pop-group Matt & Kim.
Their queer stage presence and harmonizing bridges could easily be compared to Tegan & Sara.
The events center was filled with all sorts of students and vendors who each had their own unique story.
Most vendors were selling incredible vintage clothing or creative personal art.
My favorite vendor was Cece Baeza, owner of Come Hither by Cece.
Baeza sells stylish and unique hair accessories created by hand.
The hair clips included big, beautiful flowers in every color and real, painted starfish.
Come Hither by Cece really stood out from the other vendors when she told me her story of how she started working from nothing.
“When I started my business, I was homeless. Now I work out of my car and am saving up to buy a home and start going to school,” said Baeza.
I have no doubt that Come Hither will be a successful business after hearing how determined and driven Baeza is.
These are people who are trying to change the world, not just for the LGBT community, but for all of us as students and young adults.
They really succeeded in bringing together students, and I think that is what our school and community really needs.
As I walked around from vendor to vendor taking in all the incredible talent, I could see students joining in on the crafts and starting their own drawings on napkins while they interacted with fellow classmates and students they had never known before.
I felt so inspired after talking to the vendors and Pride Center students who put together Q-Fest.
I can’t wait for the next event The Pride Center puts together.
I definitely won’t miss it and neither should you.
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