Last year’s Packapalooza was bigger and better than organizers anticipated, with some 45,000 people partying on Hillsborough Street at the daylong street extravaganza. And the third-annual event, scheduled from 2-10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, hopes to be even bigger, while still remaining a family-friendly community event for students, staff and faculty.
“This year’s event will be amazing and will include something for everyone,” says co-chair Justine Hollingshead. “Our goal has always been for Packapalooza to be a way to bring together the entire Wolfpack family, including alumni and the local community. It will be a great way to celebrate the start of another school year.”
To accommodate the large crowd for this year’s event organizers have added a third stage, created a smartphone app and set aside even more space for two new zones, one featuring NC State Young Alumni and the other devoted to campus and community service opportunities.
A full schedule of activities and performers is available here, though it is subject to change. For an up-to-the-minute list of what’s happening, download thePackapalooza app.
Headlining this year’s event is rising junior and former American Idol winner Scott McCreery, who performed briefly last year with Chancellor Randy Woodson and football coach Dave Doeren. No word if they will join him on the main stage again this year, but McCreery will entertain with a full set, including selections from his latest release “See You Tonight.”
He won’t be the only performer with campus ties, though. RaShad – a rapper whose weekday name is Thomas Easley, the director of community diversity for the College of Natural Resources – is also one of the slated performers, along with Old Man Whickutt, The Facilitators, The Stanley Baird Group, A.B.R. and campus favorites the Grains of Time, Ladies in Red and Wolfgang A Cappella and Accapology.
The newly added second stage will spotlight fashion, including designs from the student-organized Art2Wear. One of the featured guests will be College of Design assistant professor Justin LeBlanc, who appeared in last year’s Project Runway (Season 12).
Among the 300 vendors and 50 sponsors will be community service organizations such as the Feed The Pack food pantry, which will have a 20-foot by 40-foot canned food sculpture wall.
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