On Sept. 5, people of all ages came together to celebrate another year of Minerpalooza. This marked the 35th year of the University of Texas El Paso’s (UTEP) biggest celebration to kickoff the start of a new academic year.
Being one of UTEP’s longest-standing traditions, Minerpalooza highlights the best of El Paso using music, community, food and campus spirit.
The event was hosted around the Centennial Plaza spanning from the Union Building breezeway to the Fox Fine Arts. The main stage was set up at the plaza where this year’s Battle of the Bands (BOTB) took place. BOTB attracted many people to the event such as Mario Dayer, an El Paso music enthusiast.
“What excites me the most is listening to the artists at the Battle of the Bands, and seeing who will win this year,” Dayer said.
This year’s BOTB contestants were Acrolein band, Fear of Tradition, Mediocre at Best, Texas Hart and Stars in the Day. After a 3 rounds elimination process, the chosen winner was Acrolein, who played songs from their EP “Moonrise” which was released recently on Aug. 26.
The event included activities for all ages, Pete’s Playground was a place for children to have fun with games and bouncy houses, while the adults had the opportunity to relax and enjoy a drink at the Wine and Beer Garden.
Surrounding the plaza were many stands of games and activities organized by UTEP’s student organizations. These covered interests ranging from career goals like Pre-Law and Pre-Dental societies to students who were united by their love for sports like Women Miner Rugby or the Tennis Club at UTEP. Others came together to encourage students to make a positive impact in their community like Women’s Volunteer Organization, or bringing awareness to mental health at UTEP. This is also a way for student organizations to fundraise.
UTEP student Paulina Ortega serves as president of IGNITE, an organization with the mission of empowering women to be politically engaged. Ortega assisted in the event to invite other students to join their community.
“Minerpalooza is an opportunity to be more engaged with the community members and their families,” Ortega said, “Here you can find that community that supports you.”
Federico Alvidrez, computer science student, and member of the Society of Physics at UTEP, agreed that engaging with the community through events such as these are a great way to find solidarity from…likeminded students.
“What keeps bringing me back is seeing all the student orgs and seeing how involved they are in the community,” Alvidrez said, “As part of a student organization, this is a place where we can meet all the students and interact with them on a face-to-face basis. Also, as STEM students, the career can be hard, so we should have fun and use these moments to meet new people and hang out.”
One of the main attractions was the Artisan market, where people could find many of El Paso’s small businesses, where customer use find crochet items, local jewelry shops, perfumes, art and much more. Many people like Joaquin Madrid, a freshman at UTEP, were excited to look at what they could find at the market.
“I’m hoping to buy something from the Artisan market and support the local vendors,” Madrid said.
The business owners were also looking forward to bringing their products to the festival. Sarah, owner of Daydream Crochet shared her excitement to bring her products to the event for the second year in a row
“I had such a great time here last year. It‘s amazing to meet so many people from students to alumni and network with other businesses,” said the entrepreneur.
The night officially came to an end with DJ Technotics taking the stage to present a set of his remixes. The audience danced and vibed to the music, enjoying one of the most energetic moment of the night.
Minerpalooza continues to be a tradition that brings the Sun City together, offering a space for everyone to connect through music, art, sports, or simply through Miner pride and love for El Paso.
Vivien G. Noe C, is a Staff Reporter, at The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected]
