Extravaganza at University of California Santa Barbara

Extravaganza is the highly anticipated spring all-day music festival that takes place on the UCSB campus.

It is sometimes referred to as the school's biggest party of the year, and it is one of the highlights of the campus' spring quarter. Originally designed to provide a spotlight for and showcase small local bands, the event has evolved and now includes big name bands, and features a variety of musical genres ranging from hip-hop to rock, and the electronic music - the most recent addition to the lineup. Previous bands to grace the stage at Harder Stadium included Steppenwolf, Run D.M.C., Jack Johnson, Drake, and the Black Eyed Peas.

The Battle of the Bands competition takes place on Thursday, March 1, 2012. The band that winds that hard-fought competition gets the coveted opening spot at the year's Extravaganza event. The application deadline for bands that want to win a spot to compete in the Battle of the Bands is Wednesday, February 1st, 2012. The winner of Battle of the Bands won't be announced until after March 1, 2012.

The entire event is funded by UCSB students. Historically, the event was open to the public. Criticisms of the open-door policy that allowed non-UCSB students to attend the event, and security problems that arose as a result of the huge crowds that attended the 2010 event, prompted the AS Program Board, the student organization that sponsored the event, to close it to non-UCSB students as of 2011.

Students wanting to enjoy some great music and hang out with friends should be sure to keep their eyes peeled to announcements about the event so that they can obtain the necessary credentials for admission.

Wear comfortable clothing and be prepared to brave crowds if you're lucky enough to go to the event of the year on the UCSB campus.

by Susan B