It was a day full of fun with so many activities like ice cream, carnival rides, and caricature drawings at the 2025 Loyolapalooza, ending with the headliner performance from rapper and singer Aminé. Students like Mackenzie Benjamin ‘28 gathered out on the quad anticipating the main attraction.
“I’m looking forward to the Aminé performance and hearing ‘Caroline’ live,” Benjamin said.
Aminé did end up performing his 2017 hit “Caroline” as well as other hits like “Blackjack,” “Reel It In,” and a new song from his new album “13 Months of Sunshine” which releases on May 16. The Loyolapalooza crowd displayed so much energy and support, with some fans even bringing the Ethiopian National flag paying homage to Aminé’s culture.
Loyolapalooza has always been an end-of-the-year campus celebration that takes place on the quad before the start of finals. According to Associate Director of Student Organizations Rebecca Winkler, it’s about tradition.
“A lot of Loyolapalooza is about tradition. It’s a tradition to place the festival on the Sunday before finals, to announce the Loyolapalooza artist at the BSA Fashion Show, and to have the winner of the Battle of the Bands open for said artist,” Winkler said.
Loyola student musicians from the Battle of the Bands were given the opportunity to perform, but it was the winner of the contest that got to open for Aminé. This year’s Battle of the Band contest took place on April 12, and the contestants’ performances were so good that the judges decided to let two bands open for Aminé. Bands The Last Arrival and Daviid and the Dreamerz were given the opportunity to perform that day.
“I’m just so glad that this many people came and watched…it was one of the coolest things of my life and it went by so fast,” Last Arrival Drummer Sam Mejia ‘26 said.
With a turnout of roughly 2,000 people who came and went as the day progressed, Loyolapalooza is arguably the biggest campus event. While a great majority of those people are students, the festival is open to everyone and encourages community members, students, professors, and alumni to come out and enjoy a day of fun.
“I liked that they had the ice cream truck here, I liked that we got free shirts and water bottles, and I also liked that they had a little carnival ride here. That’s very fun. It’s nice to see everyone come out and just have fun and vibe before finals,” Benjamin said.
