Roughly seven months have passed since Hillfest, the St. Edward’s campus event in which students enjoyed free food, carnival rides, music, games and pictures with Pax the hilltopper. It is about time that students take a break from their studies and again enjoy themselves at a similar event.

This is why the University Programming Board created the End of the Year Party, an event organized to “celebrate the end of another great year.” According to UPB, the party will be held on Friday. The event is free for St. Edward’s students, who can arrive anytime between 5 and 8 p.m. on the Holy Cross lawn and swipe their ID.

UPB has organized for a variety of entertainment sources to attend the event. Bands that will be performing include two student bands called Sons of Santos and -_- (Emoji face band), as well as The Lonely Biscuits, from Nashville, Tenn. A wide selection of free food from different Austin food vendors will be served at the event. The menu includes Hog Wild BBQ, Red Cottage Kitchen soft pretzels, New Orleans Snow Cones, Amy’s Ice Cream and a fusion of Mexican and Korean food from Chi’Lantro. Other free items provided to attendees of the event include tank tops and snapbacks.

Students can also look forward to games on the lawn like giant Twister. Other options for fun include laser tag, a Velcro wall and a photo booth.

Currently, UPB is looking for volunteers to work at the End of the Year Party. Three shifts are available: 4:30-5:45 p.m., 5:30-6:45 p.m., and 6:30-8:00 p.m. All volunteers will be entered in a raffle for an iPad mini. The number of shifts students take represents the number of times their name is entered in the raffle. Only 40 volunteer shifts are available, so the chances of winning the iPad are high. To register as a volunteer, students can visit the End of the Year Party event on Collegiate Link, or simply type this URL into their web browser: http://bit.ly/EOYP2014.

The University Programming Board has put a lot of work into organizing the End of the Year Party in order for students to celebrate their year of hard work. The timing of the event is perfect, occurring just before students must cram for finals with just over a week before they begin. Hopefully many students will attend the party, helping to make it as fun and successful as it has been each year in the past.