Carnival goers enjoy ThurtenE’s rides before last year’s shutdown. (Bri Nitsburg | Managing Photo Editor)

After weather-related cancellations on both Friday and Saturday this weekend, on its final day, the 90th annual ThurtenE carnival was open all day on Sunday April 6. That afternoon, two juveniles—one of whom was armed—were arrested near the carnival’s entrance; however, the event continued until its scheduled close at 8 p.m.

WashU’s Chief of Campus Police Angela Coonce confirmed to Student Life that the two minors unaffiliated with WashU were arrested by WUPD outside of the carnival’s gates, one for possession of a firearm and the other for trespassing. 

 “One juvenile was released to a parent and the other was detained by St. Louis County Juvenile Detention,” Coonce wrote in an email comment. 

She emphasized that the carnival continued as planned without further interruptions.

Notably, last year’s carnival was abruptly shut down out of safety concerns on the second day of festivities after multiple fights broke out and mass panic ensued after rumours of firearms and other weapons circulated among carnival-goers. 

In addition to the final day of the 2024 carnival being cancelled, crowd safety concerns after the ThurtenE fights were cited as a reason behind the decision to move last year’s WILD concert indoors to the Athletic Center, in tandem with a predicted storm on the day of the concert.

The ThurtenE carnival is the largest student-run carnival in the country and has been put on since 1935 by the ThurtenE honorary, a long-standing society composed of 13 junior students. Profits from the annual event are donated to charity groups in St. Louis. This year’s beneficiary was the Little Bit Foundation, an organization dedicated to fighting generational poverty in the St. Louis area.      

In response to the fights from last year, ThurtenE executives, in conjunction with WUPD, implemented a host of safety measures including “a separate entrance and exit to avoid big crowds forming, a no-bag policy except for medical use, and a requirement that minors be accompanied by a parent or guardian (not applicable to WashU first-years under 18).” 

Students from the on-campus groups who had booths at the carnival were also required to do a mandatory emergency training in preparation for any violence, a missing person, or a natural disaster.  

Emily Cole, public relations and marketing co-chair for ThurtenE, stated that she felt the new policies were effective.

“Our priority was making sure the event was both fun and safe, and we’re grateful that the new safety policies helped us achieve that balance,” Cole wrote in a comment to Student Life. 

She added that ThurtenE members will review the arrests and consider whether additional changes are necessary for future carnivals. 

“After the dust settles, we will evaluate and make tweaks accordingly for the future,” Cole wrote. “We’re so thankful to everyone who showed up, got involved, and helped make this year’s carnival a meaningful experience.”

Additional reporting by Zach Trabitz