The cold weather and occasional snow flurries at this year’s Mayfest wasn’t a problem for most people, especially those dressed in a grizzly bear suit.

“It kind of sucks because it is snowing, but Mayfest is never bad,” said Maddie McNamara, a junior photography major.

McNamara wore the “official ‘Workaholics’ bear coat” because “honestly it is really warm.”

Mayfest, an annual event held in Walnut Park, began at 1 p.m. Friday and concluded around 6 p.m. This year’s Mayfest saw temperatures around 30 degrees. Admission was free for all Syracuse University and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry undergraduate students. The thousands of people in attendance were provided with free entertainment, food, drinks and limited amounts of beer, if over the age of 21.

The streets around Walnut Park were filled with students dressed in costumes, including Santa Claus, Teletubbies, Pokemon, panda bears and bananas.

Erin Singleton, a Mayfest staff member who was in charge of the signature board, said she didn’t think many people were having problems with the weather.

“It’s the character of Syracuse to have fun no matter what the weather is like,” said Singleton, who is a sophomore in the Bandier program. “Everyone’s just having a good time.”

Singleton added that the signature board that allows people to “leave their mark,” in addition to the Red Bull wigwam and the large, paint-splattered Mayfest letters, were new this year.

Stephen Smith, a freshman in the Bandier program, said he attended Mayfest for the performances and free food. As for the bitter temperatures, “everyone’s going to show up anyway,” he said.

The food was prepared by SU Food Services and the menu included corn dogs, hamburgers and cotton candy, among others. There were also kosher and vegetarian options available.

Some students, however, were not fans of the cold weather.

Ulysses Pereira, an exchange student studying mechanical engineering, said he enjoyed the festivities, but that the temperatures are nothing like those in his native Brazil.

Remam Cruz, another exchange student from Brazil studying computer engineering, said he had only been at Mayfest for a short amount of time, but the cold weather was already bothering him.

Nevertheless, Cruz said he came to Mayfest to meet new people and “just have fun and forget about exams.”

Most students were dressed in jackets and jeans, rather than shorts and t-shirts.

Syracuse Police Department Officer Christopher De Joseph said as of around 3:30 p.m., for the most part Mayfest had been “pretty peaceful.” De Joseph added that there had been a few larger parties off campus though.

De Joseph and another officer said they had just been making their rounds and had just come back from the food tents, which were one of the most popular and crowded areas in Walnut Park.

The officers joked that they were making sure students only took one corn dog from the food tents.

Department of Public Safety Officer Adam Lustrinelli said about three hours into Mayfest, that there had not been any major incidents.

“Everything’s under control,” he said. He described the joint effort between DPS and SPD officers as “one big unit working together.”

SU Ambulance also stationed vehicles and personnel at Walnut Park.

Caroline Morba, a junior biology major and volunteer with SUA, said six foot responders and one stand-by ambulance patrolled the park during the event.

Morba added that the city of Syracuse also sent one ambulance to Mayfest.

Morba said as of approximately 4:30 p.m., SUA had only experienced four patients, far fewer than at Juice Jam. SUA saw about 50 patients at Juice Jam, she added. As for possible causes, she said, “At these events, it’s alcohol.”

Published on April 24, 2015 at 6:18 pm

Contact Sara: smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann