Passion Pit, Waka Flocka Flame, more to perform at Gator Growl 2016

Passion Pit, Waka Flocka Flame and DJ Whoo Kid, Timeflies and Maddie & Tae will perform at Gator Growl 2016, organizers announced Thursday.

This is the first time four artists will perform at the event. The increase in the number of performers, up from three artists in 2015, was to encourage more of a music-festival type of atmosphere, said Tristan Ahlquist, the associate producer of communications for Gator Growl.

The event, hosted by Student Government Productions and Florida Blue Key, will take place on Flavet Field on Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. Student tickets are $15, and public tickets are $25. Pit pass tickets, for access to the front of the stages, are double the price of a general admission ticket.

This year, the event will have two stages, but only one performer at a time, Ahlquist said. The event was able to include a fourth artist because of an increase in funding from money raised from last year’s event, he said.

Deciding on the performers came down to the artists’ schedules, Ahlquist said, adding that the committee looked for artists of different genres so students would be able to enjoy different types of music all in one place.

“We thought a lot about the interest of our students,” he said.

UF linguistics senior Wills Blake decided to buy tickets when he saw Passion Pit and Waka Flocka were coming, despite not knowing the other two performers.

“I’m very open-minded when it comes to music, so I’m looking forward to how they sound,” the 21-year-old said.

But UF business administration junior Jake Kilgore decided to break his three-year streak of attending Gator Growl when he heard the lineup. The variety will meet the needs of more students, he said, but it isn’t really his preferred music.

“If the lineup was exceptional, I’d definitely find a way to get tickets,” the 20-year-old said. “But it’s not, so I’m not going to put much effort into getting tickets.”

@MelissaGomez004

mgomez@alligator.org

UF students and guests fill Flavet field as they wait for Gator Growl to begin Nov. 6, 2015.