From noon until midnight, The Underworld, Norris Quad and Philly Style Pizza were packed with attendees enjoying music and vendors at The Underworld’s second annual Earth Day fest Saturday.
“It was a great day,” said Matt Guardiola, a junior music major, who organized the event and runs The Underworld, a house show venue on Carlisle Street.
The Underworld partnered with WHIP, Temple’s student-run radio station, to host the festival. It featured an Art Mart with more than 30 vendors and performances from 18 bands, including Beef, Knuckle Deep and Smoke Detector — whose sounds ranged from upbeat pop to hardcore punk.
All proceeds from Earth Day Fest went to the The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign and Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund.
The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, also known as the Poor People’s Army, is a Kensington-based non-profit organization fighting against poverty across the United States. The Underworld had partnered with the organization during past events, including Fall Fest hosted by The Underworld and The Stoop in 2023.
Some attendees even made hours-long trips for the event, like Elle Thompson, who drove from North Carolina.
“My friend Keya is in the band Smoke Detector and I came to see her play,” Thompson said.
Lea Dossantos, a vendor selling their art under the name Oatmeal Hamster at the Art Mart portion of Earth Day Fest, was excited to be involved in the event after hearing about it from a friend.
“I know [the proceeds are] going to a good cause and I want to celebrate that,” Dossantos said.
The Underworld first met with WHIP to discuss the event last November and started specific planning around January, Guardiola said. Each band and vendor at Earth Day Fest was a collective choice made by everyone involved in the planning process.
Guardiola was especially excited that everything was executed as planned because last year’s Fall Fest and Earth Day Fest were rained out.
This year’s weather was sunny and warm, making the outdoor stage on the Norris Quad an ideal place for people to shop at the Art Mart and dance to the music.
New York-based band Summer Fling engaged the crowd as exciting saxophone solos belted through the outdoor stage.
Beef performed the following set, and the response from the crowd was electrifying as Norris Square was transformed into a mosh pit when the sound changed from jazz-infused pop to hardcore punk.
After Knuckle Deep closed out the outdoor portion of the fest, the basement of The Underworld lit up as Jammwich performed a set that several audience members declared as one of the best sets in The Underworld’s history. At the same time, attendees were seen linking arms and dancing to Valendina at Philly Style Pizza as the fest came to an end.
“It’s been great working with WHIP,” Guardiola said. “Their staff has been great in helping us with the whole process. We’ve been doing this for about a year or a year and a half. It’s just awesome. We love hosting an event like this.”
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