Ravyn Lenae performs at MIT for SpringFest 2026
The pop artist, famous for “Love Me Not,” took to the stage in Johnson Ice Rink
Photo courtesy of Daka Ejilemele
Photo courtesy of Daka Ejilemele
Photo courtesy of Daka Ejilemele
On May 2 at 8:30 p.m., singer-songwriter Ravyn Lenae took to the stage in Johnson Ice Rink for SpringFest 2026. The annual concert, organized by the MIT Student Events Board (SEB), attracted hundreds of people, both within and outside the MIT community. The opening acts were all bands composed of MIT students: Burnt Sugar, Performative Brother Ensemble (PBE, a play on the actual fraternity), and The Deuce.
Just the day before, SEB held the SpringFest Carnival, which included an obstacle course bouncy house, fried dough, and student booths with free food and prizes.
Kennedi Jackson ’29 got a front row seat to Lenae’s performance. She was impressed by SEB’s hard work and everything from the DJ to the headliners. “I can’t wait to see what they have in store for next year,” she said.
Meagan McFadden ’29 attended with Jackson and also loved the performance and the SpringFest carnival the day before. “Ten out of ten, would recommend,” she said.
The Tech reached out to SEB for an inside look at the concert’s logistics. SEB Co-President Sydney Smith ’27 found the event a huge success and was “thrilled” by the quality of Lenae’s performance. The event went smoothly, due to collaboration with MIT Student Organizations, Leadership, and Engagement (SOLE), Campus Activities Complex (CAC), Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER), SEB’s production managers GBM6, and Red Bull, who provided drinks at the concert.
This year, SpringFest was held inside the Johnson Ice Rink for the first time, since Field A, the usual venue, was not available due to renovations on the Fran O’Brien Baseball Field and Briggs Softball Field. The cheaper venue freed up money for production upgrades, including a background screen and lighting enhancements, according to Smith. “Being inside also guarantees a concert even if there are weather concerns,” she noted.
While she said that Johnson Ice Rink was a great venue, Smith added that the board hopes to gain access to larger spaces such as Killian Court in the future. “Its iconic architecture that is so central to the MIT experience is really what we need to take this event to the next level and cement SpringFest as a must-see annual tradition,” she said.
Smith also mentioned a few difficulties in organizing SpringFest this year. Aside from the unexpected venue change, the main challenge laid in the delay in funding information. While SEB had selected an artist by October, they could not confirm contract details until December. Despite everything, Smith said the contract was eventually signed by SEB’s internal deadline “without too much trouble.”
In terms of improving SpringFest for next year, Smith pointed to an increase in student feedback and budget. While she noted it was impossible to please everyone, gaining more student input helps SEB to pick a genre, venue, and inform the final artist choice. A larger budget would give SEB “more freedom” to pick an artist that “truly resonates with the student body” and improve production, according to Smith.
“I would strongly urge any students who want to see a bigger SpringFest to voice their concerns to the UA or directly to admin,” she concluded.