Hollybash is Rowan’s annual festival, which takes place on Hollybush Green. Mixed in with the Ferris wheel, the lawn games, the small stage, and the food, are the headline performers each year. 

In the past, celebrities like Tori Kelly, Tai Verdes, and Noah Cyrus have graced the stage with their live performances. 

This year was a little different. When SUP announced via Instagram that the headliner would be Jersey Shore Alum DJ Pauly D, most were excited.

Freshman Mia Foti expressed her excitement prior to the festival. 

“I honestly am so excited to see DJ Pauly at Hollybash this year because I feel like so many people that come to Rowan are from New Jersey and are familiar with the Jersey shore, so I feel like it just makes sense,” said Foti. 

Instagram comments also agreed with Foti, with many of the comments saying Pauly D’s signature catchphrase, “Yeah Buddy!”

At the festival, students proved their excitement for the DJ. 

Given the chance to either lock into a 30-second fist bump or grab a selfie with Jersey Shore’s Pauly D, senior Autumn Chambers chose this. 

“Fist Bump, 1000,” said Chambers.

Before Pauly D took the stage at the festival, Rowan Alt Music showed up and out for the winner of this year’s Battle Of The Bands, Estrogents, who had never played for such a huge audience before, expressed nerves before taking the stage. 

“I had my poker face on. I was, I was locked in, but looking out there and not even being able to see the grass past a certain point, very daunting,” said rhythm guitarist Michael Pieczara. 

The band also took time out of their 40-minute set to make a statement about the current campus culture for LGBTQ+ students. Talking about the homophobia they face on campus.  

The band expressed how they felt they had no choice but to speak. 

“I think it’s definitely when I started experiencing more homophobic comments being thrown my way, and I know that that’s something that a lot of my friends have been experiencing too,” said Drummer Grey Hobbs. “But it’s not just homophobia, it’s a lot of hatred kind of being present on campus, and it felt like being on such a large stage, it was more of a necessity than a question.” 

The band also felt they knew who was affected by the change and who was causing it. 

“We got the people who are affected by the change in culture on campus, you know, receiving a lot of the hate, really appreciated that we had something to say, and the people who were doing a lot of the hating were irritated by the fact that we were calling them out,” said Hobbs. 

“At a certain point, it’s like, if they’re getting mad about that, they’re just telling on themselves. So it’s really reflecting their characters back at them,” said bassist, Dee Phillips.

The band felt the love when they saw a mosh pit and crowd surfing mid-show. 

“When I saw people crowd surfing when I saw a mosh pit break out, first song, and then we were forced to tell people to keep their feet on the ground and stop crowd surfing,” said Phillips.  “To me, that’s like a personal win, just the fact that, like, I wasn’t expecting that kind of love.”

Once 8:00 p.m. hit, Pauly D took the stage and performed a variety of 2010s and current hits. 

The Jersey Shore alum kept the energy high as students danced with foam light sticks

As Pauly D waved goodbye to the crowd, signaling the end of Hollybash and thus so, the end of the semester.