In order to distract from the impending doom that is finals week, Spotlight Productions and Laker Traditions will be hosting LakerFest on April 22 from noon to 4 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center lobby on Grand Valley State University’s Allendale Campus.

With free food and various activities, the event is purposely held at the end of the winter semester in order to celebrate all the hard work that students have done throughout the 2015-16 academic year.

Marisa Riddle, the coordinator for LakerFest, said that having a carnival-themed event will resonate with students because it references a significant time in their childhood where things like finals, thesis reports and graduation weren’t part of their daily life.

“That’s what we really wanted to accomplish—a stress-free, fun event where everyone could relax and have a good time,” Riddle said. “That’s part of the reason we have it on the last day of classes, so students can take a breather and realize they’re done.”

Noting the collaboration between Spotlight Productions and Laker Traditions, Riddle said that the partnership between the two organizations allowed them to designate who brought what to the event. Laker Traditions will be providing cotton candy, popcorn and other carnival-themed food, while Spotlight Productions brings the carnival games.

Working with Spotlight Productions, she said, has ultimately been great and that when they get together, awesome things happen.

“We’ve been working together on this since last year, and LakerFest was such a success last year, I think that really speaks to all the hard work put in by Traditions and Spotlight to make sure everything runs smoothly,” Riddle said.

Hailey Merritt, the promotions chair for LakerFest, emphasized that while the event is all fun and games for the students and faculty, it is also a reflection period on the academic year.

Emphasizing how this will be a wonderful opportunity for students to take a much-needed break from the stress of finishing assignments and studying for finals, she also said that this is the chance for graduating students to look at and see what they brought to the GVSU community during their undergraduate years.

“It’s more of a celebration, congratulating everyone for such a great school year and that is why the event is placed at the end of the year,” she said. “It will be bittersweet to watch some of our Lakers accept their degree and graduate, but all of us are so proud of their accomplishments and they gave us huge shoes to fill for the next semester to come.”

For more information about LakerFest and future Laker Traditions and Spotlight Productions collaborations, visit www.gvsu.edu/events/lakerfest-1.