On Thursday, Aug. 29, UNLV hosted its 28th annual Premier event at the Intramural Field.
The event included activities, giveaways and live music for all current UNLV students. Some of the activities included a mechanical bull, a rock climbing wall, a zipline and an inflatable bounce house.
As students checked in to the event with the Rebel ID, they were directed to a booth to receive a free Premier shirt. Longtime event attendees Kevin McVay and Robin Grove noted their favorite shirt from the 2016 Premier event.
In August 1996, Premier UNLV was founded with the intent of exciting students about the upcoming academic year and connecting them with campus services and resources. Some of the services present at Premier this year were UNLV Eats, Campus Recreational Services and CSUN Student Government.
Students expressed their excitement about the event and how it felt to be part of UNLV’s yearly tradition.
“There was a lot of energy in this year’s event,” reflected CSUN Student Body President Allister Dias. “This was the largest Premier event we have had, probably because we had the largest enrollment numbers ever at UNLV this fall.”
Although Premier is designed to be a celebratory event, not everything was worth celebrating.
“To get into Premier, my friend and I waited almost 45 minutes in line,” stated Petra Molina, senior journalism major. “Regardless, the wait was worth it because of the traditional UNLV photo and the music.”
When the sun set on the event, students were invited to grab glow sticks and pose in the shape of the UNLV letters for the traditional aerial photograph that has become synonymous with Premier events.
“This year, I got to stand in the V for the photograph,” noted Molina. “Only seniors get to stand in the V, so this being my third Premier event, it made me feel accomplished.”
To conclude the evening, there were musical performances by DJ Prenup, who has performed at UNLV Premier for the past two years.
Coming together for Premier and posing for the traditional UNLV photo officially marks the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year.
