The Observer spoke with Armaan Hasan, the former president of Spartan Winterfest, about what students can expect from this year’s concert.

Q: What is your role in Spartan Winterfest?

A: I’m involved in a little bit of everything. I was president last year, so I and other former [executive board] members have taken on the role of being advisers to our current [executive board] and helping out wherever needed.

Q: Can you give me the basic details about Winterfest this year?

A: Winterfest 2016 is this Saturday, Dec. 10, from 8-10:30 p.m. in the Tinkham Veale [University Center] Ballroom. Tickets are $5 and are on sale in [the Tink] through Friday, on Tapingo—under USG organizations in the Winterfest tab—and at the door Saturday.

Q:Is there anything new this year?

A: Not really. [As this is] our fourth year doing this, we’ve finally started solidifying the format of the event. If anything, since our process is more streamlined now, we hope that we will be able to make this year’s Winterfest feel more like a real concert than ever before.

Q: What are you goals for this years event?

A: All the money goes to charity, so of course we want to raise as much, if not more, money for this year’s charity—Little Kids Rock—than was raised before. However, equally important to us is just putting on a fun event. We want this to be something Case students can look forward to cutting loose at for a bit during the stress of finals for years to come. So our main goal is to get a great turnout and put on a great show.

Q: What’s something you’re most excited about?

A: I, myself, will be performing so I’m quite excited about that. I’m also excited to just take part in a big, crazy, fun concert with my peers and [relax] and [enjoy] myself for a night amidst the stress that tends to come with these last few weeks of the semester.

Q: How far in advance does the committee/club plan Winterfest? What do you do in the spring semester?

A: During our spring semester we tend to mainly focus on growing our general body and doing some bonding as an organization. However we do begin thinking about the next event as well, mainly in the form of choosing our new charity for the year. Exec will then communicate amongst ourselves and with our GB as much as possible over the summer. Then once fall semester starts and everyone gets back on campus, we get right to work.”

Q:  Does the money go towards the club’s next event or for charity or a combination?

A: All money made from ticket sales, raffle prizes, donations, etc. goes to the charity we’re supporting. Since we don’t keep any of this money, and this definitely isn’t a cheap event for us to put on, we’re extremely grateful to [the Undergraduate Student Government] for often providing a lot of the funding we need to be successful. The rest of the money the organization needs comes from fundraisers, typically.

Q: Why did you get involved with Spartan Winterfest?

A: When I was a freshman some upperclassmen I knew told me about this new student organization they were trying to start that would put on an annual winter concert for charity. At first it was just something to get involved in, and I thought it would be a cool tradition to help start, but I definitely became passionate about the organization. Spartan Winterfest has given me a way to express my love for music, grow as a leader and feel like I’ve helped create something that has made an impact on this campus and in the local community through our concert and charity efforts. As I finish up my time here at Case, I hope this last year will be the most fun yet, and I encourage everyone to spend just $5—it’s for charity!—and buy a ticket in the Tink, on Tapingo or at the door and come join us for an exciting, music-filled night this Saturday.