With Palmer Fest closing the 2026 Fest Season, it caused a bittersweet feeling for students. This weekend’s festivities included Friday’s Athens Fest and Saturday’s Palmer Fest. Palmer Fest brought large crowds to Athens.
For some students, it is their first or last Fest Season, which brings a range of emotions to the party season. According to Niznik Behavioral Health, “partying habits tend to increase slightly as students advance through college,” indicating that juniors and seniors attend more parties than freshmen.
Liz Rosebrock-Hayes Jr., a junior studying fine arts, explained how the party season feels.
“It feels very bittersweet, especially as a junior,” Rosebrock-Hayes said. “I will definitely miss Fest Season … There's something about Fest Season that brings everybody together, and I feel that people just yearn for that kind of community. So I think it's very nice to see that.”
Lola Chicotel, a junior studying political science, said she is sad to see the end of this Fest Season, but had a good time while she was at Palmer Fest.
“I just love seeing everyone I know out, it's the best,” Chicotel said. “I'm really sad, but I think it is a good conclusion, because so many people come out for (Palmer Fest).”
Fest Season brings a lot of people who are not local to Athens to enjoy the Fest Season. Selma Delic, a sophomore studying pharmaceutical sciences at Ohio State University, says she enjoys coming to visit for Palmer Fest with finals week approaching. She transferred out of Ohio University after last school year.
“Just being with my friends and seeing everyone come together, I feel like that's my favorite part, especially during final times,” Delic said. “I know it can be very stressful, and (Palmer Fest) is a nice way to just have fun.”
Delic expressed Fest Season in Athens is something special to OU. According to Niche, OU ranked as the 17th top party school in the United States, and OSU ranked 20th.
“I feel like the dynamics here are very different from OSU,” Delic said.
Liam Workman, a sophomore studying chemical engineering at OSU, echoed this sentiment and said Fest Season is one of a kind.
“It's definitely different to Ohio State, because there's a lot more people in a lot more house areas,” Workman said. “It's not much about bar culture. It's really cool because you get to see everybody and see who knows everybody.”
Palmer Fest can come with safety issues, and brings out the Athens Police Department annually. With the number of people who attend parties, it is important for many to make sure safety is a priority. Large crowds and warm weather can pose safety threats, especially as OU’s enrollment grows, having risen by 4.4% on the Athens campus between 2024 and 2025, according to OU.
Rosebrock-Hayes shared several ways she and her friends stay safe.
“I have everybody's locations, but service is never really good during Fest Season especially, so I just like to make sure that everybody is within a group, constantly checking, making sure everybody is hydrated,” Rosebrock-Hayes said. “That's a big part of it, just making sure that everybody's sticking together and looking out for your friends, because it's very easy to get lost in crowds.”
The end of Fest Season can signify the quickly approaching end of the semester for students at OU. Now that it is over, the focus turns to finals week for students.
