The Residential Housing Association Council of San Miguel, San Nicolas, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Rosa halls came together to host their annual Chi-Chella event on April 25, 2026.
Alex Trevisky, the vaudevillian for the festival, felt that the circus tricks eased stressors and tensions of students during midterms. Sanjana Lingam / Daily Nexus
Chi-Chella is hosted annually during midterm season for students living in residence halls, where students can relieve stress by celebrating the upcoming spring season. Attendees were offered a variety of food such as macaroni salad, beef brisket with gravy, katsu-styled eggplant and soda. This year’s event was hosted on the San Nicolas and San Miguel lawn.
Student Leadership Program Advisor, Matt Ortega, said Chi-Chella is an “ongoing tradition” which helps form community and increases involvement on campus.
His colleague, Assistant Resident Director Leo Ayala, said the festival was present when he was a freshman at UCSB in 2021. He hopes the weather will be better for next year and that more student bands are involved in future Chi-Chellas.
Resident Assistants (RAs) volunteered to get pied by dorm residents. Second-year San Nicolas RA and psychological & brain sciences major Jack Hubschmitt said he had “a blast.”
“Getting pied is completely voluntary and gets the residents to come out to get their undeserved justice,” Hubschmitt said.
Fellow RAs, second-year biochemistry and applied mathematics double major Campbell Cleveland and fourth-year political science major Decker O’Steen, were pied by their residents. The event also had a photobooth, cotton candy and popcorn station.
The drizzle and cold weather did not stop any of the housing residents from coming out and showing support for their friends on the lawn. First-year computer engineering major Kartik Rai said he appreciated the event for bringing positivity to the midterm season.
“I heard the music, and there was nothing much going on for me on a Saturday, but this event [lightened] the mood with midterm season going on,” Rai said.
First-year biology major Vivia Troncoso explained how the weather didn’t hinder her enjoyment of the event.
“I love the entertainment, it’s a bummer that the weather turned out to be colder, but the hall council truly worked hard to keep the event entertaining and fun for everyone,” Troncoso said.
There were many members involved within the Santa Barbara community who showed up to support the students, including Maria and Israel Galindo, who went to support their son in one of Isla Vista’s bands, playing “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac.
The event included live performances from campus a cappella groups Brothas From Otha Mothas (BFOM) and Ravaani, as well as local Isla Vista bands.
Michael Ang, third-year English major and president of BFOM, an all-inclusive male a cappella group, mentioned that the club started in 2003 and hopes to gain more members in the upcoming years. Similarly, Ravaani, a South Asian fusion a cappella group, performed at the event in hopes of recruiting new members.
“We love choosing any opportunity to perform on campus to get the name out, which is technically good for recruitment because everyone on our team feels like family because of how close we all are to each other,” fourth-year biology major and Ravaani member Aditii Srinivasan said.
To celebrate the spirit of a carnival, the hall councils brought a vaudevillian to perform for students. Alex Bistrevsky, the vaudevillian for the festival, felt that the circus tricks eased up many individuals’ stressors and tensions that were floating around.
“Many people can be intimidated by being first-years with making friends on campus and finding their own way independently,” Bistrevsky said. “For me, the circus was an accident, but I do love spreading joy and passion as they’re infectious.”
A version of this article appeared on p. 7 of the April 30, 2026 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
