Bringing food and fun to the Chamberlain Student Center Patio, the 2nd Annual Rowan Food Truck Festival drew the university’s student body out in full force a day before classes had officially begun.

The festival, sponsored by Rowan’s Office of Student Activities (OSA), brought a variety of food vendors to the event including trucks from D&D Catering, Tacos Al Carbon, Try Vegan NJ and 1 Potato Two.

There were more than 2,300 students who attended the festival this year which exceeded last year’s total by almost 600 students, according to Student University Programmers (SUP) President Emily Ostrowski.

“This year we were expecting over 2,000 students, added more trucks, and we’re not disappointed with how well the event went,” Ostrowski said, emphasizing how successful the event was.

Ostrowski added that she hopes to keep one of OSA’s most popular events a staple of welcome week for years to come.

“I enjoy the food truck festival because it is an event that appeals to everyone: everyone loves food and music, and it is a great way to welcome the campus back from a long break,” she said. “I love seeing so many people enjoy an event that I put so much thought into organizing.”

The event also featured carnival games, a live DJ and a performance from the New York-based band Heydaze. 

“I enjoyed the variety of foods that were offered as well as the wide range of music played,” sophomore radio, television and film major Christian Rivera said. “It just kinda opened up the patio for people. It was a great time to meet up with friends to talk and reminisce over food. Even after I ate I just hung out for a while to chat with people, I’d love to see it come back.” 

“The ice cream was my favorite, but I enjoyed the DJ and I thought the event was a great way to bring people together and enjoy some great food,” said senior biology major Ian Quinn.

The Heydaze played some of their original songs like “Hurt Like Hell” as well as covers of “The Hills” by the Weeknd and “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!” by the Vengaboys.

Rowan students seemed to embrace the festival as a chance to reconnect and enjoy their last remaining hours of summer break.

“This was the second time I came. I came last year and it was pretty fun,” senior math and education major Courtney Waring said as the festival came to a close Wednesday night. “I had a good time with a lot of friends.”

– Featured image:  Rowan’s student body out in full force for the 2nd Annual Food Truck Festival. Thanks to OSA this event brought a wide range of food to the Chamberlain Student Center. -Photo Editor/Amanda Palma

For comments/questions about this story, email arts@thewhitonline.com or tweet @TheWhitOnline.