A trumpet blared through plumes of blue and red at Friday’s widely attended Tribute to Holi, kick-starting Serendipity weekend.  Deep bass reverberated throughout campus until early the next morning.

Students drifted in and out of the woods with dreamlike expressions on their faces, as if transitioning from fantasy back to reality.

Expectations remained high for the unexpected.

What Kinda Didn’t Just Happen

“I started hearing the words ‘Serendipity 2013’ thrown around this past summer,” said Serendipity co-chair and sophomore Blake Brown.

Over summer break, Brown and former co-chair Ashley Lynch started looking into music for the event.

Then, beginning in the fall, the committee started holding weekly Wednesday meetings open to the student body.

The committee faced the imposing task of funneling the eclectic tastes of Guilford students into four headliners.

After student voting, the committee negotiated contracts with the headlining artists.

“At that point, we were basically trying to keep the boat afloat until the time of the show,” said Brown.

Often attached to these contracts are riders, strange requests or errands attached to the more typical outlining of pay and production.

One of the headliners requested a life-size cardboard cutout of actress Mila Kunis.

Another wanted a DVD of “Mean Girls. “

“We had to scramble to find RL Grime his special Gatorade, which turned out to be discontinued,” said sophomore and Campus Activities Board member Irene Jacobson.

Yet, these bizarre tasks are only a small part of staff responsibilities.

The green-shirted staff members raced golf carts across campus, doing anything and everything to help participating clubs.

“Our team this year was super organized and gelled really well,” said CAB President and senior Hallie Dowling-Huppert. “We had good communication throughout. I was incredibly impressed by how smoothly it all went.”

This being said, the coordinating efforts of the Serendipity staff greatly contrasted with the atmosphere of the festival itself.

“It’s challenging to be on a totally different side of Serendipity than all of your peers,” said Jacobson.

For every big and serendipitous moment at Guilford’s annual extravaganza, there are dozens of smaller steps coordinated by the Serendipity committee and CAB to ensure the festival’s success.

Students sometimes forget that Serendipity is not literal embodiment.

Serendipity did not appear on April 4 to April 6 by chance or magic.

Down by the Lake

This year, Serendipity brought together its usual blend of music and community.

“This is what I want to see,” said senior Lennon Vidal. “Everyone chilling at the lake. No one getting in trouble.”

With standout performances from student artists like L.A.B., A Tribe Called Ben and Whiskey Fingers, the street fair embodied the festival’s purported collaborative spirit.

L.A.B., better known as sophomore Rod Walker, opened the street fair at two.

Despite the early slot, L.A.B. and his group, the Unofficials, brought out a large group of supporters.

For a performer on only his second show, L.A.B. commanded the crowd with an MC’s charisma.

“Where your hands at?” L.A.B. asked over cinematic beats from sophomore Gray Hall, guitarist for A Tribe Called Ben.

After bringing friends onstage to dance beside him, L.A.B. invited Guilford’s folk duo Bloombox, senior Heather Scott and sophomore Isabelle Ramirez, onstage to harmonize the hook of new song, “I Wonder,” closing his set on a high note.

Though students and the sun waned as A Tribe Called Ben took the stage at 5:30 p.m., the mix of frenetic sax and pattering conga felt just right for the evening slot.

As Latin-influenced bass extended around the lake, more students arrived.

“Their music fits perfectly with the Serendipity vibe,” said Heather Scott of Bloombox.

Though headliners Reggae Infinity arrived to run through a mic check around 6:00, the crowd pleaded for more.

With permission from Serendipity staff, A Tribe Called Ben closed with a cover of the “James Bond Theme,” featuring a blistering solo.

“So many of my favorite experiences have been playing around outside when the weather is nice, and everybody is just enjoying each other’s presence,” said junior Solomon Weiner, one half of the tight-playing, fast-picking bluegrass duo Whiskey Fingers.

A Tribe Called Ben’s namesake, bassist Ben Matlack, played trumpet on two of Whiskey Fingers’ bluesier songs.

Guilford’s scene abuzz like a hive, these cross-pollinating artists made the music all the sweeter.

Saturday’s set from Philadelphia rapper Tayyib Ali drew a raucous crowd, who Ali egged on, boisterously repeating the phrase “Turn up.”

Earlier, a smaller crowd, some drawn away by the beckoning Final Four, cheered as Reggae Infinity interspersed The Toyes’ “Smoke Two Joints” into their two-step set.

“Smoke two joints, then go to class, then smoke two more joints,” singer Ras B advised a like-minded crowd.

Did That Really Just Happen?

On Saturday, a remarkable number of dogs rocked tutus and fairy wings, an example of the impromptu strangeness students look forward to at Serendipity.

Prospective student Ayana Porter just happened to be visiting from Saudi Arabia on Guilford’s most exciting weekend.

“It’s just a coincidence that we happened to come this weekend,” said Porter. “I might go to school here just because of this weekend.”

Another relished aspect of Serendipity is, as sophomore Satiir Stevenson put it, “Seeing drunk people do stupid shit.”

This, of course, is enjoyed completely in its unpredictability.

Similarly, all of the greatest moments in music, with the call and response during Reggae Infinity’s set as a small example, are moment specific.

Yet, the garb, glitter and lasers are underscored by an iceberg of work.

For example, the laser show Friday night required planning and coordination with the Piedmont Triad International Airport.

“Because of the radius of the lasers and because we were within five miles of the airport, we had to okay it with the airport because it could interfere with the planes landings,” said Dowling-Huppert.

With all this said, Serendipity is set up by committee, and merely lived out by students and performers.

There is no cohesion.

It is not a truly collaborative festival.

Neither through their praise, nor through their criticism, can students fully acknowledge the endless negotiation required by just 15 volunteers to put on the biggest event of the year for a student body of more than 1,000.

Serendipity is supposed to be a school-wide collaboration, a showcase both for the students and by the students.

But in reality, it is collaboration only among those involved.

If you feel that a viewpoint or genre is underrepresented, then come to one of the many Wednesday night meetings and voice your thoughts.

“We have been trying for as long as I have been on the board to get the community input on the music,” said Dowling-Huppert.

“That’s the thing about the Quaker process. If you don’t come, you’re putting your trust in other people’s voices. So if you don’t like what you see, then  you definitely need to attend committee meetings.”

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