Fresno State is getting ready to host its annual Vintage Days on April 19-21.
This occasion will be a special one as it marks the event’s 50th anniversary and will have a few new things visitors can look forward to.
“We’re all really excited,” said Kirsten Martinez, marketing and public relations chair for the Vintage Days Committee. “We have a lot of stuff planned, including our Saturday night block party. This year, we have the first-ever Fresno State drone light show.”
The drone light show will take place 8:30-9 p.m. on the south lawn of the Resnick Student Union during the Saturday night block party on April 20.
Vintage Days was established in 1974 and has developed into Fresno State’s largest annual campus and community event.
More than just a recreational festival, it celebrates community bonding traditions organized by students for community members to enjoy.
“In the past we’ve had go-karts and eating contests, and now we’ve evolved to having the community more involved like our craft vendors now, and having more of the small business and Fresno State community aspects,” Martinez said.
Vintage Days started as a small community event put together by students that began to grow, being hosted outside the Satellite Student Union in recent years. Now it has gotten big enough to be hosted throughout other areas on campus.
“This year we’ll be using the second floor of the Resnick Student Union for a Vintage Days museum where we’ll be showcasing old photographs and old Vintage Days artifacts as well,” Martinez said. “I spoke to some vendors and a lot of them have been doing Vintage Days for 25 plus years. It’s the biggest student-planned event in the Central Valley and I’m glad to see how much we’ve grown.”
This year’s event will have an anime gaming con and a cosplay contest, featuring voice actresses Courtney Lin and Ashley Biski who have done respective dubbing work in video games, movies and anime. Dubbing is the art of recording a soundtrack for foreign works of entertainment to translate them into an audience’s native language.
Vintage Days will be held in parking lots P30 and P31 adjacent to the Resnick Student Union and University Library.