Students can look forward to some of the most renowned student events returning this fall, such as the Red Rally, Friday Night Live and Silent Lights.
Each of these events are sponsored by the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico — the undergraduate student government of UNM. The events are a part of a “Welcome Back” series, which welcome students to the new school year and encourage them to make new friends at the University.
Friday Night Live is held in the Student Union Building at the beginning of August during the week before fall courses begin. Free food is offered alongside activities like photo booths, henna tattooing, laser tag and more.
The Red Rally is another popular event for the fall semester. Students gather at Johnson Field to socialize, listen to live music and most importantly; burn a giant Aggie sculpture as the sun sets.
Setting flame to the Aggie is meant to set a victorious tone for a new year in rivalry with New Mexico State University. The Aggie typically stands at 25 feet tall and is assembled by students throughout the two weeks prior to the event.
UNM’s Red Rally is one of the first, and largest, events to take place during the fall semester. Students are encouraged to show their Lobo pride by wearing cherry red for good luck.
Silent Lights is one of the most popular events organized by ASUNM, alongside University Communication and Marketing.
Students gather to listen to music through headphones that can be tuned to stations run by several DJs across three various stages. The event is held every September in front of Zimmerman Library, usually occurring during the evening from 8pm-11pm. Students are allowed to bring 1 non-student guest to Silent Nights.
Typically, UNM expects between 2,500 and 3,500 guests to attend. Because of the limited headphone availability, the event has a cap on how many people can participate at a time. So, students should plan on arriving early or should expect a slight wait time before entering.
Fiestas, an event held during the spring semester, is another great example of the kind of events UNM offers to students during the school year. Fiestas is a music concert that is free to students – plus 2 guests per student – and features local and global music performers.
Fiestas has hosted artists such as B.o.B., YungGravy, Binki, Jason Huber, Cheat Codes, Indigo Waves and plenty more throughout the years. There is usually a big crowd at Fiestas because of the free entry and the opportunity to see different artists every year.
Incoming freshman students can expect to look forward to these traditions during each year they are enrolled at UNM.
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Lexis Lovato is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @lovatolexis
