Del Water Gap Captivates CUA Students at Capital Fest 2024
Image Courtesy of Anthony Curioso
By Anthony Curioso
CUA Program Board held its annual Capital Fest concert in the McMahon Parking Lot on Friday, September 13. Dozens of music-loving CUA students showed up eager to kick off the semester with a good time.
Traditionally held on a Friday in mid-to-late September every year, the two previous performances at Capital Fest featured Mason Ramsey and Hot Chelle Rae (2022) and Ella Jane and MAGIC! (2023).
This year’s Capital Fest featured indie-pop artist Del Water Gap, who is most notable for serving as the opening act for Niall Horan on Horan’s 2024 tour of the United States. Unlike the previous two years, where Mason Ramsey and Ella Jane were the respective opening acts for Capital Fest, there was no opener this year, and Del Water Gap was the only performer.
Since the birth of the event in 2014, in the time preceding each year’s Capital Fest many eager Catholic University students repost Program Board’s Instagram infographics for the event. This year, many Del Water Gap fans on campus expressed hope that his performance would live up to the enormous annual hype the event receives.
Marilyn Tran, a freshman theology major, shared her excitement about Del Water Gap coming to campus.
“I’ve been listening to Del Water Gap for quite a while now,” Tran said, “so I’ve been eagerly looking forward to seeing him at Capital Fest since Program Board made that announcement last week.”
A staple of Capital Fest is the inclusion of food trucks or other food vendors based in the DC area. This year, the first 350 students in line received tickets they could redeem for gelato from La Marmotta Gelateria, which offered four flavors to choose from. Not one serving of gelato remained after Capital Fest attendees received their complimentary cups.
Del Water Gap played some of his most well-known songs, such as “Better Than I Know Myself” and “Doll House,” for Capital Fest attendees this year. He also played some of his lesser-known songs and deep cuts, such as ”I Hope You Understand” and “Chastain.”
Despite the crowd appearing smaller than in the last two years, the crowd’s energy was palpable throughout the McMahon Parking Lot. Many attendees danced along to the music and lip-synced to the lyrics throughout the set.
Masters of Science in Business student Ethan Nott commented on his thoughts about Del Water Gap’s performance.
“I loved his energy, and I loved the way he engaged the crowd with his stories,” Nott said.
Capital Fest is an event that people always remember for a long time after it is over. Del Water Gap’s performance this year will likely be no exception.
Additional image by Anthony Curioso:
