26
August
2022
|
16:52
Asia/Singapore

SUPERNOVA Ignite: Lights, beats, and energy to welcome the new semester

Iridescent shades of spotlight swept over the SUPERNOVA Ignite stage as bass beats thumped across University Town Green, where about 3,000 members of the NUS community gathered on 12 and 13 August 2022 for an exuberant music and dance festival which returned in-person for the first time since 2019.

Originally a one-day rock concert conceptualised as ‘SUPERNOVA’ in 2013, this year’s iteration added ‘Ignite’ to its moniker, signalling the return of full-scale student life to campus. Organised by the NUS Office of Student Affairs in collaboration with the NUS Students’ Union (NUSSU), clubs and various NUS units, SUPERNOVA Ignite was also expanded into a two-day event which included fringe dance performances, carnival booths and games, and the launch of the Inter-Faculty Games (IFG).

Describing the outdoor concert atmosphere as electrifying, second-year NUS Physics student Mr Joel Teo enthused: “SUPERNOVA 2022 was a blast! From the various dance performances to the head-banging rock and pop bands, the entire event was exhilarating!” "Personally, my favourite bits were from FLO's, Supersonic's and Radioactive Yesterday's performances, their set lists were amazing and really hyped up the crowd.”

The vibrant and rousing atmosphere extended over two days and into the evening, seeing 24 acts by 147 NUS student performers flaunting their talents, from live and electronic music, to cheerleading and dance performances.

“Along with the return of student life to NUS campus, we wanted to position Supernova as one of the first large-scale student life events to kickstart physical events in NUS. Hopefully, it has shown other student organisations what is possible and inspire them to organise physical events again,” said Mr Lee Yat Bun, President of NUSSU. “Also, we wanted to give every student an equal chance to perform on a big stage. Even though planning took up quite a significant portion of the organising team members' summer break, seeing our NUS undergraduates enjoy themselves as spectators and performers made our time spent worth it.”

Kicking off the Inter-Faculty Games 2022

As a prelude to the SUPERNOVA Ignite concert, representatives from various faculties came together to mark the launch of the Inter-Faculty Games (IFG), a highly-anticipated annual campus sporting event.

Themed ‘Spirit United, Conquer as One’, IFG was officially launched by NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye, joined by NUSSU President Mr Lee and Mr Douglas Lew, President of the NUS Students’ Sports Club and Chairman of IFG 2022. The games will see over 3,000 students and staff coming together to compete in 20 different sports and 27 different events throughout the month of August. Find out more about the games and see which team will emerge the champion here.