By Lucia Sacerdoti
TAMPA, Fla. — The artist for Party in the Park (PITP) was announced last week, and students are thrilled to attend the concert as soon as possible. The concert will be on Mar. 21, 2025. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Carter Ruddell, one of the concert managers of PITP and the Stage Show chair for Student Productions, told us a little bit about what the artist selection entailed and what makes it unique for students to attend this year.
“We’re emailing all these different organizations to make sure that we get everything set up or making sure we have everything the artist needs,” Ruddell said, “I’d say we’re on time or maybe even ahead, because it’s a month out, and I feel like I’m pretty confident that the planning is going good.”
Ruddell said the artist announcement went well on social media, “It was pretty good. It got good outreach and a lot of likes. People enjoyed it.”
Ruddell said that PITP is a great opportunity for students to attend a free concert with high attendance.
“If I’m a student … I think it’s just somewhere where I can get my Friday night started. I’m just excited to get the night going and that’s a perfect way to do it,” said Ruddell.
Ruddell said that if students are not necessarily interested in the artists, there are pre-show activities students can enjoy.
“And then there’s a company that does fun activities,” said Ruddell. “It’s kind of something to go with Party in the Park, not just the artists. So there would be like free food games involved. … Everything but nitrogen ice cream, glow cotton candy, and more activities where students can be provided with activities that are not just like the concert itself, but like other things to do.”
“The artists are going to be [a] hit. Iann Dior has a lot of recognizable songs that students know, and DJ Press Play goes around a lot of colleges around the U.S.,” Ruddell said.
Students, staff members, and family can bring guests as well to the concert. For guests outside of the UTampa community, there will be a cost of $20.
Brittany Garcia, the assistant director of Service and Leadership Development at The University of Tampa, believes this event can bring the UTampa community together.
“Party in the Park is such a rewarding experience to assist in planning,” Garcia said. “The students involved are the backbone of the production. Seeing the growth and development of them coming together to coordinate something this grand is unbelievable every year. It is the highlight of the academic year, and we hope that it brings a sense of Spartan pride to our campus.”
Garcia also talked about what they can look forward to the concert, “I think our students can look forward to a unique concert lineup and other fun elements all throughout Plant Park. It’s going to be a great night whether students come to enjoy it or volunteer with Student Productions.”
Student Productions is excited to bring this event to students every spring semester.