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One member of duo Big Gigantic, which will perform on Slope Day in May.

March 9, 2017

Two Headliners Announced for Slope Day 2017

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Electronic hip-hop group Big Gigantic and indie-pop band MisterWives will headline Slope Day on May 11, the Slope Day Programming Board announced on Thursday.

Opening for the two headliners will be Brasstracks, a rap and producing trio that produced Chance the Rapper’s hit song, “No Problem.” The group includes rapper S’natra, who will perform with them on Slope Day.

Tom Marin ’17, selections director on the Slope Day Programming Board, said more than 9,000 people responded to a survey asking for performer suggestions.

The number one response to that survey, Marin said, was The Chainsmokers, which were not in the board’s budget range. The group has a $250,000 operating budget for performers, facilities and all other expenses.

August Larmer DiFilippo ’17, president of the Programming Board, said he and others tried to select artists among a wide range of genres, noting a “strong response” for last year’s diverse lineup of Rock City, Cash Cash and Walk the Moon.

DiFilippo also said medical transports hit a five-year low in 2016. Programs like an “alternative slope day” at an off-campus ropes course and a community breakfast with sandwiches are planned again for this year, he said.

Slope Day is free for undergraduate students, who can pick up a wristband in the week leading up to the festival by showing a Cornell ID.

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Graduate students can purchase tickets for $20 in the weeks before the event and $30 on May 11. Those prices are $25 and $35 for alumni. Faculty and staff are allowed free entry with a Cornell ID. Tickets will be available on March 23.

Slope Day is an annual festival celebrating the end of the academic year on Libe Slope, with a long history of different names and purposes. It first took place in 1901, when it was known as Spring Day and commemorated the end of winter. The title “Slope Day” was first used in 1989, designating a day of informal student activities, usually involving heavy drinking.

Hunter Rawlings, during his multiple tenures as president, has emphasized an increase in the University’s role in controlling Slope Day activities, which routinely result in excessive drinking and medical transports.

Slope Day is traditionally celebrated with a music headliner and various campus events, such as the Slopefest carnival held on Ho Plaza. Past performers include many high-profile artists, such as Chance the Rapper in 2015, Kendrick Lamar in 2013 and Drake in 2010.