Ateneo Fiesta: The Hallmark of the Ateneo Experience

Ateneo Fiesta: The Hallmark of the Ateneo Experience

by Raye Angelique Y. Bongabong

The Ateneo Fiesta is a myriad of events and experiences. From organizers and volunteers frantically running around, contestants nervously gathering around to pray before performing, friends talking animatedly in food kiosks, and lovers casually strolling around the campus, every Atenean has a story to share during the week-long celebration. For most students, Ateneo Fiesta or AtFest is a week to destress from the semester’s heavy academic workload. Not only can they rest since there are no classes, but they also get to enjoy the different kiosks set up in the different areas of the school and enjoy the different activities organized by the committee. From morning until nighttime, students can eat delicious food from food kiosks, buy clothes and other cute knick-knacks from small stores, watch the different contests and participate in the activities, and stroll around leisurely as they forget their academic problems for a while. The Ateneo Fiesta is also an avenue where students can unleash their skills and talents to bring glory to their respective academic organizations. Students practice many months prior to the competitions to showcase the best performance they can offer. The contests not only provide a holistic development for the students, but they also strengthen the bond of the participants and the pride of the different academic organizations. At the end of every Ateneo Fiesta, the sense of community is felt and emphasized in the hearts of every Atenean. Simply put, AtFest is a hallmark of the Ateneo experience. Ateneo would not feel like Ateneo if the grand and long-awaited fiesta would not be held. That is probably why the school year 2020-2021 feels incomplete. With no Ateneo Fiesta to boost the morale of the student body, it’s no wonder why apathy among Ateneans is at an all-time high. The Ateneo Fiesta is not only a time for enjoyment and recuperation for students, it is also an event that strengthens the animo of every academic organization and of Ateneo as an institution. It connects all Ateneans and fosters a warm and welcoming environment. Without the Ateneo Fiesta, we become detached from our academic organizations and feel somewhat isolated. At a time where every student is isolated from the get-go, we badly need the week-long celebration to boost our spirits and to feel as if we are one warm community again. Sadly, with the current COVID-19 pandemic, hosting the fiesta seems like an impossible task. Planning an online event is hard as it is and on an event with the scale of Ateneo Fiesta, it’s doubtful that it can be pulled off even with sufficient resources. We also have to take the internet connectivity of the stakeholders into consideration. Almost all of the contests held in the week-long celebration entail that the contestants perform in close proximity. Contestants usually spend months of preparation before the fiesta and practicing with a big number of people in a single area will only lead to complications with health and security protocols. Even if an online AtFest can be pulled off, nothing can truly beat the magical and welcoming atmosphere that only a face-to-face Ateneo Fiesta can create. As unfortunate as it sounds, it is simply not feasible for the university to hold an online Ateneo Fiesta. It will only drain the resources that the institution relies upon and the sense of community that the online set-up would provide is little to none. A much-awaited and grand event such as the Ateneo Fiesta would do more good when held under a face-to-face set-up. What we could hope for is that the next Ateneo Fiesta would be grander and warmer—a celebration of the survival that Ateneans had to undergo under the online set-up. Until then, our Ateneo Fiesta-less Ateneo experience should suffice for the time being.