New ISU students may be surprised by the people gathered around Campustown on the Friday and Saturday of Veishea.

Experienced students, alumni and avid Veishea attendees will recognize it as Taste of Veishea.

Taste of Veishea encompasses all the events around the Welch Avenue area during Friday and Saturday of Veishea week. In this celebration, students are allowed to “taste” an assortment of activities offered by the festival organizers.

Veishea entertainment co-chairs BJ Fuhrman and Quinn Showalter believe the diversity of events is a major appeal of Taste of Veishea.

“The purpose is to give the students a chance to explore the different things that go on throughout Veishea,” says Fuhrman.

“It’s a good opportunity to experience the highlights of Veishea throughout the weekend.”

Welch Avenue will close early Friday morning so street vendors can move in and food will be on sale by noon.

There will be fewer street vendors this year, but they will be more locally and alumni oriented.

Veishea-goers can expect a dining selection similar to what one would find at a county fair. Hungry attendees can purchase various food items such as gyros, popcorn and other carnival favorites.

This year, Taste of Veishea organizers wanted to emphasize local acts and Iowa State’s traditions.

One of the main attractions is the “Battle of the Bands” competition, in which local bands can pit their musical talents against one another for chances at prizes.

The competition begins at 2 p.m. Friday and ends at midnight. A large stage will be erected, as usual, in the intersection of Welch Avenue and Chamberlain Street .

The bands performing are: Duck and Cover, 4Below, Catchpenny, Sadistic Kids, 2nd Best, Synthetic, Max Power, 8 Miles Out, Argos and For the Better.

Numerous acts, including a dance performance by the ISU Pom Squad, will also perform on the Taste of Veishea stage Saturday.

The events on stage progress from family-centered acts during the day to college-centered acts at night. Several larger bands, including Rear View Mirror, will be performing later Saturday.

Local radio station KCCQ plans to DJ a portion of Saturday’s festivities.

Another activity at Taste of Veishea is the chance for Veishea-goers to pound each other with giant weapons or attempt to pin their friends in an ancient form of Japanese wrestling, all with the assistance of inflatable props.

This year Taste of Veishea is bringing in eight inflatable games with an all-ages appeal that include sumo wrestling, jousting and an obstacle course.

These recreational activities are supplied free of charge and are open to anyone.

Organizers are anticipating a large crowd, and in years past have received 1,200 to 1,500 attendees throughout the day and night. They expect the streets in Campustown to be jam-packed with eager students and alumni.

The large crowds and plethora of activities will make this event an enjoyable experience for any ISU student, says Taste of Veishea organizer Ross Roti.

“[ISU students] should come and check it out because it only goes on once a year,” says Roti, sophomore in business.

“There is always a lot of people down there. You can get some good food, participate in some games and listen to some good music. It gives you the chance to do something different at Iowa State.”

The festivities begin at noon Friday and go until late Saturday night during Veishea weekend.