Whimsical sounds of folk music poured through Keene State College for the 2026 Solar Fest event. Musical artists from around the area came to the L.P. Young Student Center to perform on Saturday, May 2.
WKNH is the organization that puts on the event and coordinates the artists coming to campus. Both this year and last year, the event had to be moved indoors due to the rainy weather. Sophomore Paul Mason is the Music Director for WKNH and he talked about how the event was moved inside.
“It was kind of a big pivot. We planned to be over at the amphitheater over there, but we adjusted and I think it’s working out,” said Mason.
Although both years were hosted outside, this year’s rainy weather changed the way that the event was set up indoors. Junior WKNH member Colin Harris explained the differences between this year’s and last year’s setup.
“Last year it was just pure downpour [rain]. So it was purely indoors, but this year we have it so it’s partially outdoors, partially indoors, which I’m pretty happy about. We can still have the outdoor, like we wanted to have,” said Harris.
While the event contained many performances, there were also many clubs throughout the student center. Each club had its own game or activity for eventgoers to do while music played throughout the event.
Sophomore Ava Morgan said she is a part of the Art Collective, which was tabling in the outside area of the event. Morgan talked about how the Art Collective was able to display their activity despite the weather problems.
“Last year, it was kind of rough where we were inside. A lot of stuff we do was revolving around being in the sun, so it’s kind of nice to get outside, just have a little fresh air, even though it’s a little rainy,” Morgan said. “You still get a little bit of what the event should be.”
Harris said the selection of music was different than last year, with a heavier focus on folk music.
“Last year was actually a bit different in terms of the kind of music. It was a much wider array. But this year we focused on making it a folk fest, like a music festival,” said Harris.
One of those artists was Matthew Crosier, who was contacted by one of WKNH’s Music Directors, junior Will April. Crosier said that April and he work together, and that April invited him to come try out the event. Crosier said he wants to come back after playing the event for the first time.
“It felt pretty good, there was a decent amount of people, which I felt pretty good about,” Crosier said. “I’ll be back in a heartbeat.”
The band “GOLDEN TOOTH” performed in the Night Owl Café, which was the mainstage area for Solar Fest. Jonathan Braught said he is a guitarist for the band and played at the same location about 20 years ago. Braught talked about how the band found its way to Keene and why they would perform at a college concert.
“We’ve had to kind of figure the distance thing, but I sent some music over to Will, because when I was a kid, college radio was huge. So I like the idea of that still being worth something,” said Braught.
Mason talked about why the KSC community loves Solar Fest each year.
“A lot of people love music, and it’s a lot of fun to do on the weekends,” said Mason.
Jacob Enscoe can be contacted at
jenscoe@kscequinox.com
