The annual Wolfieland carnival, hosted by the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), made its return to Stony Brook University on Saturday, attracting thousands of students to the Student Activities Center (SAC) parking lot from 4 to 11 p.m.
Wolfieland featured thrilling rides such as the Swinger, where students sat on swings rotating from a tall tower, a carousel and a large slide. Students also had the chance to enjoy traditional carnival games and earn tickets that could be redeemed for prizes such as key chains and stuffed animals.
“Wolfieland is our annual carnival. Most towns have fairs that younger students and their families can go to, and while this is open to the community, it is unique to have a staple event at a University like this. This year’s theme was space,” Tanisa Rahman, USG’s vice president of Student Life, wrote in an email to The Statesman.
Planning for Wolfieland begins as early as May of the previous semester, and there are a lot of steps that go into preparing for it.
“We meet with our event planners over at Event Kings who usually subcontract a carnival company to get all these rides in and the rest is just on us to tackle. There are so many people that go into making Wolfeland a possibility,” Rahman wrote.
Wolfieland also featured a variety of diverse food vendors, including SBU Eats Grill/Wings, Nathan’s Famous, Halal Wayz, Chatime and more.
“I love all of the rides, and the free water since I get dehydrated easily and it’s so hot out today,” Crie Rivera, a sophomore biology major, said. “My only complaint is that they ran out of the Wolfieland themed shirts too quickly. Those shirts were so cute!”
For commuter students such as freshman psychology major Kristen Mazza, the event is a great way to connect with other students and get more involved on campus, adding a touch of excitement to the start of the school year.
“I’m not on campus as often as students who live here obviously, so it’s been nice to have an opportunity to meet people and feel more involved in student life,” Mazza said.
Wolfieland is also open to non-students if they would like to join in on the fun. However, access to the mechanical rides required a wristband, which was available only to current students and the first 300 graduate students who registered online.
Wait times for rides grew long at the height of the evening, which was a drawback for some.
“The lines became pretty long. I think they should have more rides to spread out the lines if possible,” Dee Rae, a sophomore biology major, said.
Students also visited Reddit to give feedback and express their opinions on the event. Many comments highlighted issues such as the absence of free drinks, fewer available games and a concerning number of flies.
“Wolfieland fell off, man. No free drinks AT ALL, no Ferris wheel, less/worse games, a ton of flies everywhere, overall a really really bad experience,” one user wrote.
For Rahman and the rest of USG, the annual event helps bring a sense of community to Stony Brook.
“My favorite part about Wolfieland is seeing people smile!” Rahman wrote. “It’s wholesome, it’s a great photo opp, and you get to see everyone come together.”
