Chris Lake, Trippie Redd (not pictured), Ravyn Lenae, Snow Strippers and Zacari will perform at Extravaganza on May 18. (Lauren Chiou / Daily Nexus)

UC Santa Barbara’s Associated Students Program Board revealed the partial lineup for the 45th annual Extravaganza music festival on May 8 to mixed reception, which was swiftly followed by a full lineup reveal shared via Instagram the next day. This year’s Extravaganza, which is set to take place May 18, features DJ Chris Lake as headliner and  Trippie Redd, Ravyn Lenae, Snow Strippers and Zacari as supporting acts. 

Associated Students Program Board (ASPB) kicked off the event with a coordinated march and performance by the Gaucho Pep Band, beginning at the Arbor and finishing in front of Storke Tower, where a crowd of students quickly gathered to see the long-awaited lineup announcement. Donning matching Girl Scout-inspired outfits (falling in line with this year’s concert theme “Camp X”), ASPB members announced this year’s highly anticipated performances, with each artist correlating to a different layer of s’mores, labeled as the “ultimate campfire treat.” 

Reminiscent of Los Angeles festival Camp Flog Gnaw and summer camping retreats, ASPB Special Events Coordinator and fourth-year communication major Grace Freese described this year’s theme as being full of creative and unique opportunities, and not particularly related to any one artist.

“There were so many special things that we could do leading up to the day of our release, like with our postcards, having the tent and having the post that we put all of our artists up on. We just thought it was a really fun concept,” Freese elaborated. 

The first artist to be announced at the in-person reveal was rapper and instrumentalist Zacari, best known for providing vocals to Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 single “LOVE.” Zacari has since released his debut EP “Run Wild Run Free” and has collaborated with a variety of other artists, including Denzel Curry, Skrillex and 2024 Extravaganza performer BLXST. 

The artists that students were most excited about were this year’s sub-headliners up-and-coming R&B artist Ravyn Lenae and EDM duo Snow Strippers. 

The first of two EDM acts to be revealed, Detroit-based duo Snow Strippers, received several cheers of recognition from the crowd. Best known for their appearance on Lil Uzi Vert’s 2023 album “Pink Tape,” the pair has become one of EDM’s most exciting up-and-coming artists. Alongside headliner DJ Chris Lake, this year’s Extravaganza looks to be a memorable one for fans of EDM.

“I don’t know the other artists, besides Snow Strippers,” second-year chemistry major Kuan Fu shared. “I’m really excited … I’m really glad that they have one of my favorite artists up there.” 

Lenae is best known for her recent track “Love Me Not,” which debuted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100. She performed at Camp Flog Gnaw in 2023 and is set to join Sabrina Carpenter on the continuation of her “Short n’ Sweet Tour” later in 2025. Many believed Lenae to be the best act on the lineup and were surprised that she was not selected as a headliner. 

“I know one artist. I know Ravyn Lenae,” second-year history of public policy and law and Spanish double major Ariel Moore said. 

Freese also expressed her excitement with ASPB booking Lenae for Extravaganza, referring to her as a major “up-and-coming” artist in the music industry. 

Best known for his collaborations with fellow EDM artists like FISHER and Chris Lorenzo, the England-native Chris Lake is best known for his 2006 single “Changes” featuring vocalist Laura V. However, some students have expressed frustrations that this is the third consecutive year ASPB has selected a DJ to headline Extravaganza, this year’s being Lake. Lake and Snow Strippers will join a score of recent EDM performers, including Steve Aoki (2024), Disco Lines (2024), Galantis (2023) and Valentino Khan (2022). Students seemed much more excited for openers Ravyn Lenae and Snow Strippers, and curiosity about the final, yet to be revealed performer lingered in the air. 

“I’m really just waiting for the last artist, to see who that’s going to be. That will determine whether I go or not,” Moore said, following the May 8 lineup event. 

The announcement of Extravaganza’s final act, revealed 24 hours after the initial lineup event, may have alleviated these concerns, with many students delightfully surprised by the announcement that Grammy-nominated rapper Trippie Redd would be making his UCSB debut. Revealed through ASPB’s Instagram page, many commenters dramatically declared that A.S. had “redeemed itself” and “were forgiven” through successfully bringing the multi-platinum rapper to Isla Vista. 

Trippie Redd is most known for his 2016 song “Love Scars,”  2018’s “Topanga” and his collaboration on “Miss the Rage” with fellow rapper Playboi Carti. In recent years, he has collaborated with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and released a joint EP with fellow Ohioan Machine Gun Kelly. His recent feature on YouTuber KSI’s single “Thick of It” also gained widespread internet attention, with many jokingly calling upon Redd to play the track at his Extravaganza performance. 

“We knew that we wanted to have hip-hop on the lineup. That is such a relevant lineup genre in terms of the listening crowd at our school,” Freese explained. “Trippie Redd is such an established hip-hop act … we really try to target a bunch of different genres so everyone feels that they have something for them [at] Extravaganza.” 

“Obviously, you can’t satisfy everyone and have a lineup that’s perfect for every individual student, but hopefully, you can have at least one that reaches or touches as many students as possible,” she concluded. 

When asked for her hopes for this year’s festival, Freese expressed a desire for students to celebrate and embrace this unique opportunity, reiterating the fact that Extravaganza has always been a free festival for students. 

“I think it’s such an exciting and special opportunity to go to a festival that’s completely free … when everything in the world is expensive and sometimes made inaccessible, this is made for students and it’s made for them to be able to access it and enjoy it, and just have a day that’s all about having fun,” Freese said. 

The 45th iteration of Extravaganza will be held on Sunday, May 18 and promises to be an afternoon worthy of closing out the 2024-25 school year.