SRCC Crossroads: 75 lakhs

Singer Stebin Ben, rapper Panther, DJ Sahil Gulati and band Avyukt came to the cultural fest of Shri Ram College of Commerce, organized for the first time after the pandemic lockdown. Amrit Kaul, a second-year BCom (Hons) student and deputy head of the festival, says, “We picked up a 50 lakh cash sponsorship, and additional 25 lakhs with products, so our total budget was 75 lakhs. We are proud to keep the 45-year legacy of Crossroads alive!”

Sangam of Hansraj College” 35 lakhs

Singer Akhil Sachdeva and DJ Immortal participated in one of the biggest festivals on campus with an audience of 30,000 in attendance. “We formed a team with 50 students who had some experience in sales and marketing. “They made cold calls, sent mails, contacted through LinkedIn and visited corporate offices,” says fest coordinator Shreyas Umathe, a second-year BSc (Hons) Botany student. “We had Satinder Sartaaj and Pragati Nagpal ( Singer) was also there. Come to the fest to promote his films.”

Mecca of Hindu College: 30 million

Mecca organizers decided to spend the money on Star Night, where singer Aastha Gill took to the stage. “We did not have the extra expense of last year’s festival, which was organized after four years. We reused equipment and infrastructure, cutting production costs associated with the stage and stalls. But this did not affect the footfall and more than 25,000 people attended the star night,” says Vaibhav Kumar Mallawat, a first-year BA (Prog) student, who was part of the organizing committee.

Rhapsody of Maitreyi College: 30 million

“The best thing was having singer Arjun Kanungo perform,” says Shivashankari J, a second-year BA (Hons) Political Science student and student union president. “It was possible to garner sponsorship thanks to the team,” he added. Over 100 students are actively engaged in this alone! We included gifting partners, skin partners, snack partners, beauty partners and more. We really adapted our approach to the brands we reached out to, and then tailored it for our celebration.

JDMC’s Symphony: 26 lakhs

DU Fest season started with the performance of singer Mohammad Irfan at Janaki Devi Memorial College. Ananya Narang, a final year BA (Prog) student and student union president, says, “This year the budget was higher because we were able to get more sponsorships because our team worked really hard.” Adding, “We arranged for better contacts and identified all possible means to ensure an excellent stage arrangement for the star act. Although this measure affected our overall budget a bit, it helped us in crowd management.

Storm of Miranda House: 24 lakhs

Ritika Choudhary, a first-year BA (Hons) Sociology student and head of marketing and sponsorships at the Students’ Union, says, “Singer Nikhita Gandhi’s entire act at our festival was prepared in such a way that she would perform for the women of Miranda. Came here for.” “We raised about 70% of the budget through sponsorships. My colleagues reached out to their friends from other colleges who shared their contacts and databases. I used my family contacts and reached out to corporate HR heads, who put us in touch with teams that handled sponsorships for college programs.

Renaissance of KMC: 13 lakhs

Singer Karan Randhawa made everyone dance to his Punjabi tune in the two-day fest of Kirori Mal College. “Our budget was very low, but we organized the festival successfully, without reporting any safety concerns. We have also saved money by cutting costs on decorations, lighting, production, etc. So, one can make it work even with basic money,” says Naresh Beniwal, a final year BA (Prog) student and student union president.

Colleges that invited star artistes for festivals but refused to reveal their budget:

Sri Venkateswara College: Singer Mohit Chauhan performed here

Shivaji College: Singer Akhil was invited

Ramjas College: Singer Nikhita Gandhi created a stir on stage