Rice welcomes students back with festival, concert Aug. 18

THE TONTONS

Rice University students, faculty, staff and alumni can celebrate the beginning of a new school year at the second annual Welcome Back Concert at Tudor Fieldhouse and a new Welcome Back Festival at Intramural Field No. 6 on Aug. 18.

The concert, set for 7 p.m., will feature opening act The Tontons, recently featured on CMJ.com and in Houston’s Free Press Summer Fest 2012, and will be co-headlined by Billboard hip-hop artists Travis Porter and Sammy Adams.

New this year will be the Welcome Back Festival, set for 5-7 p.m., which will feature carnival-type activities, inflatables, free food and product samples and music provided by a DJ. The event is intended to create a fun environment where returning students can meet the incoming class.

TRAVIS PORTER

“Last year, nearly 2,000 students attended the Welcome Back Concert with The Wild Moccasins and Three 6 Mafia,” said Julie Neisler, Student Center assistant director for programs and Rice Program Council (RPC) adviser. “With such overwhelming success, RPC has decided to up its game even more by bringing bigger artists and introducing the festival. The concert is a safe and fun way for students to start the school year and to thank the students who participated in Outreach Day (a day of community service by Rice freshmen).”

SAMMY ADAMS

Doors for the concert open at 6:30 p.m. Undergraduate and graduate students will be admitted free with their Rice ID, and they can purchase one guest ticket in advance for $15 at http://rpc.rice.edu. Tickets for faculty, staff and alumni (and one guest per ID) can be purchased in advance at http://rpc.rice.edu for $15. Tickets sold at the door Aug. 18 will be $20.

For more information, contact RPC concerts co-chairs Dimitri Mayes and Jacob Hernandez at concerts.rpc@gmail.com.