After a disappointing turnout at the annual spring concert and the Sheehan Beach picnic last year, Campus Activities Team and the Office of Student Development have done away with the traditional University-sanctioned NovaFest activities this year in favor of putting those resources toward a bigger headlining act, The Fray, according to Director of Student Development Tom Mogan. 

"Last year, it was not cost-effective to do the outdoor event on Sheehan Beach and the concert on the same day," Mogan said.

In other words, there is nothing left to call "NovaFest."The "NovaFest concert" has been a misnomer, according to Assistant Director of Student Development Nikki Hornsberry. It has always been CAT's annual spring concert, and that will be made clearer this year.

"Every year we provide a spring concert, and it just happens to be incorporated into the NovaFest weekend events," Hornsberry said.

This year, the concert will be held on a Friday night."How can you compete with 95 degree weather on a sunny Saturday?" Hornsberry said.

No longer able to afford poorly attended NovaFest events due to the popularity of activities unsanctioned by the University, CAT decided to separate its annual spring concert from the NovaFest title this year, according to senior and CAT President Sara Parr. On the Saturday, there will be no events sponsored by CAT or the Office of Student Development, according to Mogan.

Without the traditional NovaFest activities, such as last year's circus-themed field festival on Sheehan Beach, hypnotist performance and dance in Jake Nevin Field House, and with the concert no longer associated with the well-known moniker, NovaFest is no more, according to Hornsberry.

"If people aren't attending, then we need to make changes, and that's what happened this year," Parr said, adding that the budget is based on previous years' concerts.

Poor attendance at CAT's upcoming spring concert this year is not an option, according to Hornsberry.

To ensure maximum attendance, from the beginning of first semester until it had to begin placing bids for bands, CAT surveyed students,  asking who they wanted to see and how much they would pay.

After removing all the unrealistic choices, such as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, The Fray was listed as a top act in 75 percent of the surveys, according to Hornsberry.

Even though the pressure is on, Hornsberry has high expectations for the concert.

"We sacrificed a majority of programs held throughout the year to bring a larger act for students," she said. "This is what students asked for [in the fill-in surveys]. We're giving the students what they want."

"We got a lot of positive feedback already," said Taylor Smith, senior and CAT concert committee co-chair.

The concert will be held at 7 p.m. on April 23. Tickets purchased in advance will cost $30.