Pending approval, the NOVAFEST concert venue and time will change this year, according to sophomore Campus Activities Team members Kelsi Bendinelli, director of Student Life, and Ryan DaPonte, NOVAFEST Director.

At CAT’s annual February retreat, a weekend away with their executive board, members discussed what they could do to improve CAT, according to Bendinelli. Major discussion focused on moving up the time of the NOVAFEST concert, scheduled for April 25, from the early evening (as done in the past) to the mid-afternoon.

The idea behind the proposed move is that it would make the weekend shorter. In the past, NOVAFEST has lasted from midday Friday to Sunday morning.

The proposed changes will affect what has come to be known as “WestFest,” a field festival spontaneously thrown by West Campus students every year. The event has become notorious for its afternoon-long outdoor consumption of alcohol.

The anticipated concert time change will be accompanied by a change in venue to the Villanova Stadium instead of the Pavilion, as the stadium is more ideal due to its dimensions.

Students will be encouraged to attend a field festival from 1-1:30 p.m. at the stadium on Saturday, April 25, before taking their seats. Last year, the field festival was held from 12-4 p.m., with three hours passing before the concert began at 7 p.m. According to DaPonte, this time lapse may have led to problems in attendance.

“People want to buy their tickets at the door but typically forget due to being tired,” DaPonte said.

By moving up the concert time, and allowing less time to pass between the field festival and concert, CAT expects attendance for the NovaFest concert to increase from past years.

As for the activities scheduled for Friday, April 24, CAT plans to introduce a new dimension to this year’s NOVAFEST.

In association with multicultural clubs on campus, CAT will potentially hold a dance in the Villanova Room in Connelly Center on Friday night. The music will be hip-hop based. In addition, CAT plans to continue its tradition of “Happy Fridays” and have a comedian perform in the early evening at the Belle Air Terrace.

In the next few weeks, the NOVAFEST theme and performer will be announced. NOVAFEST games and events typically coordinate with the theme. Last year’s theme was “Hollywood.”

“Basically, the difference this year is we’re going for shorter and more exciting,” DaPonte said. “We think it might draw up more attendance and be more fun [and] fast-paced.”