Lines of Sun Devils took over the area surrounding the Sun Devil Fitness Center lawns on the Tempe campus on Apr. 5 to witness Devilpalooza, a musical extravaganza hosted by the Programming and Activities Board and featured DJ Diesel.
Devilpalooza is considered to be one of the biggest events of the year on campus. This year, the copious efforts by the Programming and Activities Board to market the event led to a turnout of thousands of students, The crowd made a beeline to get in, literally rushing through the gates and pushing past others.
"We had this whole snake-like line thing, and then, someone just started running," said Emmy Alcantar, a sophomore studying math and physics. "(Then) everyone started running."
After passing security checks, students were greeted by a booming voice, "Welcome Sun Devils to Devilpalooza 2025. You are now entering a realm full of energy, freedom and fun. Prepare yourself."
This was followed by free merch for the first 250 attendees, food trucks and an inflatable Sparky. On the other side of the lawn was the stage where artists Livvie P and Peej, Right Rosemary and Green Matter performed.
"I know Green Matter and Peej," said Alexa Orona, a junior studying kinesiology. "Those two have been in California. I've attended some of the clubs, and they were participating."
The event featured predominantly EDM-inspired music, which compelled many students to dress inspired by the rave aesthetic. The resulting environment was the dreamlike ASU party utopia every ASU freshman dreams of experiencing.
Throughout the event, participants could ride some carnival rides, get food from the food trucks, visit the tables of the many brands that were at the event, or just enjoy the musical performances. It seemed that the event was designed to prevent crowds from forming at the same location.
However, this rule was broken when DJ Diesel, also known as NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O'Neal, began his DJ set.
"He plays some good music. I'm expecting good music and high energy," said Mariah Stone, a freshman studying molecular biosciences and biotechnology.
The energy from attendees was overwhelming, and the performance that most students were looking forward to began and ended with a bang.
"I knew he was a DJ for a while, but I had never actually heard anything, so I'm excited to hear it tonight," said Fernanda Muriedas, a sophomore studying astrophysics.
The excitement that the students felt for the event was matched by the PAB volunteers. Volunteers helping students could be seen everywhere, even through the seemingly never-ending line at the entrance.
The volunteers could also be seen nodding their heads to the music, falling into rhythm with the rest of the participants of the event.
READ MORE: What's new with Devilpalooza: This year's free festival hosts Steve Aoki, EDM artists
The colors, lights and sheer size of Devilpalooza 2025 made it special, allowing students to create memories and new experiences.
Students left the event with smiles and lots of merch, looking forward to even more events next year.
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Sophia Ramirez and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at ktale@asu.edu and follow @KasturiTale on X.
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Kasturi is a sophomore studying journalism. This is her third semester with The State Press. She has her own blog and has worked in creative writing.
