MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University will move forward with changes to Welcome Week that will also end a tradition that lasted nearly 30 years.
WVU Executive Director of Strategic Communications Shauna Johnson confirmed Wednesday that WVU will end FallFest as part of the Welcome Week for the coming fall semester. As a result of the change, the popular freshman-themed event Monday Night Lights will be moved to Sunday with a Mountaineer Midway and Movie event scheduled for Monday, Aug. 17 starting at 6 p.m. on the Downtown Morgantown campus.
“After a nearly 30-year run for FallFest, the University is moving forward with new experiences to fit the interests of today’s students, including the Mountaineer Midway and Movie event for all students from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, on the Downtown area of campus,” Johnson said.
The decision to remove FallFest, which has featured concerts on the Mountainlair Plaza, is part of an adjustment to Welcome Week that was based on feedback by WVU students over the past several years.
WVU Welcome Week for the Fall 2026 Semester will begin on Saturday, Aug. 15 starting WVUp All Night at the Mountainlair starting at 10 p.m. That will be followed by the annual Student Organization Fair hosted on Sunday, Aug. 16 starting at 2 p.m. at the Student Rec Center on the Evansdale Campus. Academic Day Sessions will be hosted on Monday, Aug. 17 followed by the first day of classes on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Over the near three decades of existence, FallFest has hosted several artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, Kanye West, The Roots, Jon Bellion, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, 3 Doors Down, Ludacris, Maroon 5, Akon, Black Eyed Peas, Fuel, 311, Busta Rhymes, The Chainsmokers, Schoolboy Q, Lil Yachty and Cage the Elephant.
WVU began FallFest in 1995 as an alternative to the non-university sanctioned back-to-school Grant Avenue Block Party.