A mustachioed duo dressed as the Mario Brothers recruited for the University of Richmond Video Game Orchestra, which will have its next concert on Halloween. Two students from the Ping Pong Club played on a small table divided by a net.

“You don’t have to be good,” one student said, pitching Subject to Change Improv to a student who didn’t think she was talented enough to try out.

Senior Virginia Thompson, also with the improv club, has seen the hesitation before. “It’s common for people [to be nervous] because they go in thinking they have to be the funniest in the room, the most creative, or the most insane, or the most bold, and you don’t,” she said. “You just have to go in and have fun and be down to try.”

“Have fun and be down to try” could be the motto for the whole event, which gives students the chance to learn about more than175 student organizations, campus partners, and departments.

“I hope students leave feeling excited by the sheer number and variety of opportunities available to them and that they identify a few they would like to explore further,” said Caitlin McBride, assistant director for student organizations.

The event’s popularity and ever-growing number of clubs led Doyle and her staff to move it to Westhampton Green. Bottled water, fans, a cooling station, and frozen custard from food trucks helped cool things off for guests on this particularly hot day. As students milled about, DJs at the student-run WDCE booth kept things lively with music.

A spinning wheel attracted visitors to the Modlin Arts Students Ambassadors booth, where students could try to win stickers, totes, and postcards made by members of the student-led collective.

“When we’re tabling, we really like to put an interactive spin on things. We love talking to people and trying to get them interested in our cause,” Makayla Hamlin, a senior, said. MASA supports the arts on campus with events including the Modlin Arts Crawl, featuring works of student and local artists, and an Open Mic Night.

Texas Spiders has been around for three years. Its events include a Family Weekend tailgate where students grill out, play cornhole, and fly a Lone Star state flag. They’ve met plenty of fellow Texans, said sophomores Natali Hall from Dallas and Elizabeth Johnson from Lubbock.

“Since we’re so far from home, it’s nice to connect with people,” Johnson said.

Junior Kylie Luu left the event with a bag filled with information about clubs she’s thinking about joining. She often attends SpiderFest in search of learning about one organization, then others pique her interest.

“I love SpiderFest, and I go every year because it’s a chance for me to explore new clubs, like sports clubs,” she said. “It’s really cool that I can talk to them, learn about the practice times, and all the support I can get.”

“SpiderFest is important because involvement outside the classroom is how students find their people, develop as leaders, discover new interests, and begin to feel like Richmond is truly their community,” said Doyle.