On Thursday night of the Shabbaton, the de Toledo family has, for the past few years, come together to enjoy a “by students, for students” concert that has become a staple of our Shabbaton experience.

Jagfest was not always held at the Shabbaton, and it’s safe to say that the event has come a long way in the past four years.

Rockfest (promoted as Rock for Humanity) 2015 was held in Farber alongside an eleventh-grade culmination event, and raised money to donate to Little Kids Rock, an organization with goals to provide underprivileged children with the means to learn an instrument.

For 2016, the festival was renamed Jagfest, moved to the Shabbaton, and held at the House of the Book, featuring an appearance from Moshav, an Israeli-American rock band based in Los Angeles. Having Jagfest at the Shabbaton not only provided one more opportunity for communal gathering during our sacred annual weekend, but also promised a sizeable crowd and, therefore, more encouragement for student bands to participate.

Last year’s Jagfest remained at the Shabbaton, but the venue was moved to the newly-renovated Rec Hall. The lineup featured all-student bands aside from an appearance by Mr. Stein. The stage was beautifully lit by a collection of color-changing moving and static lights with a booming sound system that projected out into the parking lot.

The festival feel was enhanced by the eclectic and fantastic student-run club booths out in the parking lot. This also provided students with an escape from the loud music inside the barn, while still not separating the festival activities from the music playing from speakers outside the barn doors.

Students were preparing care packages for the homeless, and pizza dinner was served outside the building alongside the club booths, providing a completion for the festival feel.

Jagfest 2018 is expected to be no less amazing as the school prepares for the Shabbaton. We are just one month away from the sacred retreat and there is already a buzz in the air of people speculating about what fantastic surprises may come to Jagfest 2018.

I sat down with student Jagfest Coordinator Cameron Rose, who also heads Music Appreciation Club. Cameron plays an instrumental part in organizing the yearly musical event.

“Jagfest is going to be super cool because we’re doing what we did last year, but we’re adding on to it to encourage the festival feel,” Cameron said. “We’re adding festival-like art and re-organizing some of the elements of Jagfest to help make this enjoyable for everyone.”

When asked about potential worries for Jagfest, Cameron added, “We’re a bit worried about the reliability of the performers, but we’re convinced everything will come together and be a great experience.”

“The food is another concern, because last year people didn’t like it that much. And running out of water is always a concern in dusty Southern California.”

Cameron also hinted at the possibility of a special teacher band. Watch out!

Overall, considering the great Jagfest experience of last year, there is no doubt in the minds of the Jagfest team that Jagfest 2018 will be a successful and enjoyable event.