On Saturday, April 18, KSPC hosted “Centennial Circus” — a prom with a quirky circus-themed twist. Since airing its first show in 1956, the 5Cs’ broadcasting radio station has grown in more ways than one. This year, they celebrated their 70th anniversary. In addition to rotating hosts each week, they hold many events throughout the semester that bring their listening community together, offering students a space to showcase their musical talents in different settings.
“Our goals with all of our live music events, including [KSPC] Prom, are to provide paid performance opportunities for student artists,” Vera Caldwell PO ’26, a KSPC mentor, said. “[We wanted] to create opportunities for social connection across all five colleges as people bond over music and self-expression, and to promote alternative and underground music.”
Unlike previous prom events, KSPC chose to solely spotlight student performers this year, with a set list composed entirely of student bands and musicians. One constant element of the annual prom, however, is the eclectic, silly theme. Typically, these themes are based upon two words that do not go together, such as Zombie Aquarium or Apocalypse State Fair.
On April 2, KSPC created an Instagram account, @kspcpromposal, and posted both staged and real promposals to help promote the event. One of the promposal posters read “You would be a clown to say no to KSPC with me” — a not-so-subtle foreshadowing of this year’s circus theme.
In the past, KSPC has struggled with attendance at their annual prom, but this year’s interactive advertising strategy proved successful.
“We had people who work for KSPC do proposals that were really cute, and I think they were a hit and really helped spread the word,” KSPC production editor Lucy Faulkner PZ ’26 said.
In addition to the circus-themed promposals, KSPC recruited the 5C Circus Club to help curate a 1920s circus vibe. Faulkner spoke to how the club set up its own rigs for silks — she stressed how amazing it was to see so many 5C student creatives in collaboration.
“They [set it up] by the clock tower, which I think also left room for people to hang out on the grass and spread out,” Faulkner said. “It was just a really good vibe; if you didn’t want to be too close to the music, you could go by [the] Circus club.”
Underneath the string lights and circus-themed decorations, students swayed and bobbed to the bands’ music. Ava Neal SC ’28, a vocalist for Tell Me I’m Pretty, spoke about the sense of nostalgia she felt while on stage and seeing everyone release their inhibitions.
“We were able to feel that innocence and togetherness of high school prom, but with everything on our own terms this time because we’re grown-ups now-ish,” she said.
Beyond the immediate moment, Neal spoke about the importance of her band playing in an environment such as this. KSPC offered bands a unique opportunity to play a paid gig. For Neal, it was the perfect note to end on, since some members of their band will be graduating in the spring. This was the band’s last gig together.
“We said yes to [playing at] this event because we’d always wanted to play some sort of house party,” Neal said. “It seemed like a quintessential college band experience. I think we could feel we were going to go [our] separate ways soon, and this was a beautiful way to celebrate our time together and leave it all out on the floor.”
Many of the student attendees shared a similar sentiment. The prom was a rare moment where students could dance to music typically left out of the classic Green Beach DJ set. Caldwell drew attention to the mix of “Visions of Gideon” and “Money Machine” — something that would never be found at any other 5C party.
“People in different music-based subcultures often don’t find their tastes and interests represented in other events and spaces,” Caldwell said. “KSPC fills that niche for them.”
More broadly, the event allowed KSPC’s listener base to come out in person, bringing its network together through a shared love of music. In contrast to the modern tendency to treat listening as a solitary experience, KSPC fosters an environment where music becomes a point of connection.
“We aren’t gatekeep-y — if you’re scared of getting involved because you feel like you don’t already have extensive knowledge of niche or underground music, but you want to learn more, anyone at KSPC will be thrilled to give you recommendations just because we love music and connecting over music that much,” Caldwell said.