On Saturday, Sept. 24, Fenway Park hosted its annual CollegeFest. The park was filled with college students from all over the Boston area, all celebrating the beginning of the new semester while taking the opportunity to get the free things handed out there.
The gate was opened at 11 a.m. and closed at 6 p.m. In order for students to attend the event with free admission, students had to show their student IDs.
Students walked around the ballpark with brand-marked bags in tow, as they collect goodies from a variety of different organizations marketing their products. These vendors ranged from Uber and Lyft to Reserve Officers’ Training Corp.  
Students at the event could roam around the park, spinning wheels, downloading mobile apps, and boxing to get promotional swag and free food samples.
CollegeFest has been around since the mid-1980s, hosted by the Commonwealth Armory and acquired by Boston-based marketing agency Campus Agency, which was first started here in Boston, specifically at Hynes Conventional Center; it was not until recently that it has changed to the Fenway area. With Boston’s multitude of colleges, it is one of the largest festivals that targets college students in the hopes of introducing them to all of the goods and services—from local to regional to national businesses—available to them.
After charging admission to attendees for many years to cover the cost of headlining artists, the event is now free for all students, as vendors and sponsors became the primary source of entertainment. One of the biggest sponsors present at the event was the company Swag’r, which is a mobile app that uses geolocation technology to connect with targeted deals.
Campus Agency has expanded CollegeFest from the Boston Area to other areas, including Philadelphia and the DCU Center in Worcester.  
The event also included a stage for live music. There were performances by bands from the local Boston area. One of the performers, Pan African Dance Team, was from UMass Dartmouth. They showcased dances that incorporate traditional African dance moves with modern dance. Other showcased bands from the Boston area included Western Education, Try, and Wild Waiting, which all performed a variety of alternative-rock, indie, and pop.
Campus Agency is now hoping to partner with Boston to turn the festival into a welcome weekend for students in the area, as well as offer events to get the students to also explore the city.