Each year during the spring semester, Bobcats head to various streets around campus to participate in Fest Season, a long-standing tradition at Ohio University that began in the 1960s.
While the location, music and crowds have changed over the years, Fest Season remains a time for Bobcats to celebrate and show out. Over the last few years, OU student organization BrickLife has worked with Athens police and Ohio University to ensure a safe and fun Fest Season for all who attend.
But this year, nature had other plans for the spring celebrations. With the weather unpredictably swinging between sunshine, rain and wind, Bobcats had to adapt their Fest outfits and get creative with their style. So what did Bobcats end up wearing?
The first fest of the season, Milliron and Mill Fest, brought cold March weather for party-goers. Mill Fest typically brings the heat as the kickoff fest for the season. This year, though, students had to find ways to change up their outfits to stay warm.
Kennedy Masterson, a junior studying journalism, news and information, shared how the weather impacted her outfit plans for Fest.
“There’s so much pressure on what you wear to Fest,” Masterson said. “Everyone wanted to look good. But with the weather, it was hard when we planned out outfits for it to be a little bit warmer.”
Due to the cold, students such as Masterson turned to staple pieces such as jean jackets, jeans and hoodies to warmly celebrate the season.
“I think the weather had a big impact on outfits,” Masterson said. “But people worked around it. Most people plan for warmer weather, but hopefully they can use those pieces next year.”
The recent Fest season also saw the continuation of the popular fashion trend: sweat sets. Many partygoers turned to this outfit as a solution for warmth, comfort and style. Popular clothing store, 10 West Clothing Co., located on 10 W. Union St., took advantage of the trend to create pieces for Fest Season.
OU alumnus Emma McCarty, graphic artist and store manager for 10 West, designed a Fest Season collection for this year. The collection can be bought online or in store for $20 to $48, and it includes a Fest Season 2025 t-shirt, hoodie, tank-top and beanie.
McCarty shared details about how the weather impacted the design process.
“This is the first year that we did more than just t-shirts because the weather had been so up and down, we weren’t sure what they (students) would want or what the weather would be like,” McCarty said. “We sold out of the crop tops almost immediately, and then the T-shirts we had nearly sold through, the hoodies started going, and it wasn’t till this very last fest that the toboggans started going. So they all got to play their role.”
The versatile and successful collection of Fest Season wear features a front TV graphic with Fest 2025 written on it. Featured on the back of the t-shirt and hoodie in the collection is a list of the Fests held this year, in order of date.
McCarty said she took inspiration from Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime performance to create the pieces.
“Going into Fest this season, knowing that they had increasing trouble organizing it, it got me into the headspace of community, collective and joining in on something notable with culture,” McCarty said. “When I thought of Fest this year, I couldn’t not specifically think of (the song) 'TV Off' and the huge celebration, that is still very much indicative of the counterculture mischief going on.”
Many Bobcats rocked 10 West’s Fest Season collection, alongside other popular trends such as denim and matching sets. The most popular emerging trend this year was jerseys. Bobcats paired jerseys with fun pants such as camo print and cargos, and many were seen representing OU jerseys. The jersey style is not a new trend, but it was able to make its revival this Fest Season.
“I love seeing everyone’s outfits throughout the years so far, and the jerseys this year were the trend for sure,” Masterson said.
With each year, new outfit trends emerge as Bobcats plan how they will best show up and show out for Fest Season. While this year brought unpredictable weather, students managed to create comfortable and stylish outfits while adapting to the weather.
