The Sun God Has Spoken: It Said 'Wiz Khalifa'

A preliminary lineup for this year’s Sun God Festival at was announced last week, followed by the opening of limited ticket sales.

As of now, six groups are committed to appear, including headliner Wiz Khalifa, Jimmy Eat World, Mike Posner, Crystal Castles and Best Coast. According to the official event website, additional acts will be announced soon.

With a variety of groups expected to grace the final lineup, from budding hip-hop mogul Wiz Khalifa, to indie rock groups like Best Coast and pop rock veterans Jimmy Eat World, UCSD student Oliver Zhang points out there’s a little something for everyone.

“This is the best lineup that the UCSD Sun God Festival has seen in its nearly 30-year history” said Zhang, who is with the Associated Students Concerts and Events office, which organizes the annual event. “The booking and planning process is always complicated, and we’ve had our share of bumpy roads, but I think we’ve put together a lineup that has far exceeded anything we could have imagined way back in October [when planning began].”

This year's festival takes place May 13 at RIMAC Field on the UC San Diego campus. Shows run all day and through the evening, with the final concert wrapping up at midnight.

In addition to booked groups, winners of the UCSD Battle of the Bands competition are also pegged to appear on the main stage.

The Sun God Festival is the main event and finale to UC San Diego’s Sun God Week, which incorporates other on-campus happenings, such as this year’s planned Freeze Flash Mob where students will simultaneously gather and freeze as a group on the library walk at noon on May 9, coinciding with the chiming of the Geisel Bells.

Hot on the heels of university mid-terms, the week’s events are an opportunity for students to let loose and come together and relish a much-deserved study relief.

Past headliners have included a range of artists such as They Might Be Giants and No Doubt in 1994, Social Distortion and The Roots in 1998 and N.E.R.D., Iron & Wine, Girl Talk and Augustana in 2009. 

Tickets are for students, staff and guests of UCSD students. There is no public sale of tickets, with attendance primarily geared toward undergraduate students of the university who are admitted at no charge. To secure entry, undergrads are required to appear with a valid student ID at the Festival Box Office on Marshall Field to obtain a wristband. They’re issued starting Thursday, May 12 (the day before the big festival), from noon to 7 p.m., and then on the day of the festival from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., or as long as supplies last. No advance “sales” of free tickets are available.

In addition, a limited number of paid tickets are available to student guests, graduate students, faculty, staff and alumni for $50 each. These sales will continue through May 12, or until supplies last. Note that these advance tickets do guarantee entry, but need to be traded for wristbands during the Festival Box Office hours mentioned above.

According to Zhang, this year they’ve reduced the number of guest tickets to allow for more UCSD undergraduates to get into the festival. “Tickets [in the advance sale group] are expected to sell out soon—we’re guessing by the end of this week for sure, but it might be even sooner than that,” he said.

As for the free undergraduate wristbands, Zhang said they expect to run out of these as well. “Last year they were gone around 2:30 p.m. the day of the festival,” he said.

“There's been an overwhelmingly positive response to our lineup this year and different people are excited for different acts,” said Zhang.

For more information about the UC San Diego Sun God Festival and ticketing, visit the official website.

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