On April 8, as the end of the spring semester approached, Stevens Entertainment Committee (EC) hosted the highly anticipated musical event to kick off the summer festivities: TechFest 2026
Each year, the student-run Entertainment Committee works to coordinate a memorable event filled with fun activities, performances from students, and top musicians. Previous years’ headliners included artists from various genres, including T-Pain, Peach Tree Rascals, Neon Trees, and Dayglow. Each artist brought their own energy and excitement to the crowd. This year, the hype was certainly no different.
In March, the entertainment committee hosted a “Battle of the Bands” event in Bissinger, where local musical acts, composed of Stevens students, competed for a spot to open for the headliner. Each band performed for students, followed by a voting session to determine the three bands playing at TechFest. This year, there was an excellent mix of genres that surely appealed to everyone on campus.
Although last year’s TechFest brought rain, this year’s event was hosted on a warm day with cloudless skies. The road crews started bright and early, setting up the main stage in the River Lot with artists’ equipment for the show
Students arrived at 5 p.m. to get involved in the opening activities leading up to the show. Each student received two carnival-style tickets to claim free food and entry into the show. To accompany the show, the EC created fun events, including the Duck Market — a vendor-style event featuring a photo wall, student stands, gift baskets, and face painting. Similar to previous years, EC gave out free TechFest-themed t-shirts, bejeweled ducks, and mini stuffed animal cows on a keychain. The food provided included different kinds of brick-oven pizza, tacos, brownies, and blondies.
The opening acts lined the stage from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., showcasing the top-voted songs performed at Battle of the Bands. ANGELIDIS, composed of members from diverse musical backgrounds, focused its energy on creating a fusion of heavy-hitting metal and groove. Eve Godin Band, formed this year by freshman Eve Godin, brought an alternative vibe to the show. The band Jorts carried an indie presence to the stage to match the mood of the headlining artist.
After the opening band took to the stage, the students were ready for the final headliner performance to begin at 8:00 p.m. The indie artist from the UK, Rachel Chinouriri, brought the energy and performed her most popular songs, from old to new, including songs like “The Hills” and “Can We Talk About Isaac?”, among many others. The duration of the main show was approximately one hour, concluding at 9:00 p.m. While there was not as large a crowd as in previous years, Chinouriri won the hearts of the audience. Students could be seen dancing with each other and simply enjoying the show that Chinouriri put on.
TechFest Director Mollie Good, a 4/4 Science, Technology and Society major, who has led the event for the past three years, reflected on the night. “Planning and hosting TechFest this year was one of the highlights of my year,” Good said. “It’s always a lot of work and planning, but super rewarding to see it all come together. Thank you to EC for helping me plan, and thank you to WCPR, SUMAC, and AEC for all of their help with the amazing student openers!”
