Millie Wolff | Contributing Photographer

“What makes ThurtenE special is the fact that it ties everyone together. ThurtenE is one place on campus … where we’re gonna see all these people together,” junior Anurag Challagundla, ThurtenE’s PR and marketing chair, said.

ThurtenE, the nation’s oldest and largest student-run carnival, returns to WashU for the 119th year this weekend. Organized and run by 13 members of the junior class that make up ThurtenE Honorary, the event features carnival rides, games, and student group-run activity and food booths, making it an enticing event for WashU students and community members alike. 

This year, changes to carnival hours and Student Union-sponsored student group funding have allowed for increased participation and accessibility initiatives. Even as new initiatives shape the carnival, the Honorary stressed that ThurtenE’s core identity remains the same: bringing people together.

“There’s a ton of different groups across campus … that we’re really trying to unite with ThurtenE,” Challagundla said. “We feel like this is the one big event where it’s student-led, and it’s student-driven, and that’s exactly what makes it special.

That sense of community extends beyond the actual carnival itself. 

“There are so many people around us who love ThurtenE and want to help ThurtenE and want to see us grow and succeed,” Challagundla said. “That’s why, even though it is a ton of work, it always feels very gratifying for me. … The fact that there are so many people around us who are willing to help, and so many people care, makes it special.”

This year, student groups are allowed to use SU-sponsored group funding towards their ThurtenE expenses, allowing increased participation for booths selling food and running activities. This year, social and professional fraternities, sororities, campus clubs, and campus food locations will be hosting games and selling snacks.

“The ThurtenE above us worked a lot with SU to try to get this thing passed through,” Challagundla said. “Student groups can now use their funding for ThurtenE purposes, which has been like a huge roadblock in the past, with allowing the majority of the student body to really engage in ThurtenE or have a booth.”

Beyond accessibility, ThurtenE Honorary sees these efforts as part of the larger mission of connecting students and the University more meaningfully with the surrounding St. Louis community.

“I think it’s really cool that student groups are able to interact with the St. Louis community and not kind of be stuck in the WashU bubble constantly,” Lopez said. 

Among the most notable changes to the carnival are newly designated hours intended to better serve the needs of the WashU community and this year’s chosen ThurtenE community partner.

Junior and ThurtenE Community Partner Coordinator Lizy Lopez worked with this year’s community partner St. Louis Arc, an organization that provides services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, to envision a carnival space that was inclusive for all. Sunday night from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., a night typically already quieter than the other carnival days, will be exclusive to the WashU and St. Louis Arc community. These adjustments reflect a broader effort made by ThurtenE Honorary to create a more intentional and welcoming environment at this year’s carnival. 

“Some of the staff at St. Louis Arc … say that some individuals with disabilities sometimes get judged wherever they go into a place because they may be different [from] others,” Lopez said. “Having a community partner night is really awesome because [people don’t] have to feel like they’re being judged.” 

Challagundla emphasized that these community partnerships are not just symbolic, but they also shape how the carnival is designed and experienced. 

“We’re gonna have a lot of sensory friendly kits, [and] we’re trying to be as accommodating as possible to our community partner,” Challagundla said. “We want them to understand that we value their partnership, and we value what they stand for, what their work is, and [want to] try to highlight that.”

By creating dedicated space for their community partner, the Honorary hopes to reflect the broader spirit of unity that defines ThurtenE across the WashU community. 

“A big thing that we’re trying to do is show that we’re really trying to represent the student body. ThurtenE is supposed to be the one thing that unites this entire student body together,” Challagundla said. 

The annual ThurtenE Carnival opens on Friday, April 17 and will run until Sunday, April 19. Hours and further details can be found at www.thurtene.org/carnival.