Prepare to experience art and inspiring music at CSUN’s first ever Sol Fest. Associated Students will be hosting Sol Fest on April 7 from noon to 6 p.m. The CSUN community is invited to celebrate the art and indie Jazz music. The festival will be located at Matador Square and the OST lawn behind the Sol Center.

This never-before-seen music festival will feature CSUN students, faculty, staff and alumni as the headliners in an array of musical genres, ranging from jazz to indie. In addition to hearing great music, Sol Fest will have food trucks and student art on display.

“We’re trying to hit a different genre of people with different music choices, our music choices have usually been EDM, and to try something different to hear a new culture on campus,” said Brandon Serna, an Associated Students Production producer.

The festival will feature 12 different local musicians such as Vista Kicks, Sad Park, Beachwood Coyotes and many more. The lineup will feature more indie and alternative music as opposed to CSUN’s usual electronic and rap music played at Matador nights and Big Show.

In addition to music, students will be able to interact with different CSUN organizations and non-CSUN organizations such as Pizza Rev, Collective lifestyle and Meridian Pointe. CSUN clubs and Greek life will also be tabling during the festival.

“It’s beneficial to students; It’s not only a fun, free environment,” said Rose Merida, an Associated Students Productions producer. “It’s going to give information to students that they might not even be aware they’re looking for.”

Artists will be featured during the festival in an art competition where eight student artists will compete for a gift card to BLICK art materials. The theme for this year’s art competition is LA Street Art.

One of the competitors for the art contest is Yessica Santana, a graphic designer student at CSUN.

Santana, 20, is a self-taught multi-artist who advocates for her social justice beliefs through her art and balances it with bright colors. She has displayed her art in the past month in Long Beach, San Diego and in the San Fernando Valley.

“I’m really excited for Sol Fest because this is the biggest piece I’ve ever done,” Santana said. “That’s a really big deal for me like I accomplished a lot just by that.”

Aside from the competition, her main reason for participating in Sol Fest is the opportunity to showcase her art. She is currently working on a series of celebrity portraits that can be found on her Instagram @y.santana.

Santana will be submitting a graffiti piece that captures the street art theme and her own style of using vibrant colors.

Tiffany Williams, a communications disorder student, says she’s glad AS is providing a creative space for students since music and art aren’t often pushed in educational facilities.

“It’s cool to see people being creative,” Williams said. “I like being in environments where people are encouraged to be creative and seeing others work on hobbies inspires me to work on my own.”

Merida encourages the CSUN community to stop by and check out the live performances and art even if it’s in between work or class.

“We’re prioritizing students’ needs by showcasing student talent,” Merida said.

Students can register for Sol Fest online using Eventbrite, another thing that makes Sol Fest unique according to Merida. In efforts to practice suitability tickets will be scanned from students’ phones.

“It’s been a long time coming and we can’t wait to show it off,” Serna said.

*Additional reporting done by Jacob Pascual