Students anticipate Block Party 2026 headliners with varied sentiments
Attendees of last year's Block Party record the performance. On Friday, The Driver Era, Ravyn Lenae, Snow Strippers and student DJ Spike will perform at this year's Block Party. Meghan Hendricks | Daily Orange File Photo
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.
Decades ago, when Maureen Harrington’s mom was a student at Syracuse University, she attended numerous concerts around the city. Once Harrington arrived at school to begin her freshman year in August, she asked her mom what her favorite college memories were.
University Union’s Block Party was among the top highlights. Harrington’s mom wasn’t the only one to share this sentiment.
“From what I’ve heard, it’s a must-do thing if you go to Syracuse,” Harrington said.
When the weather starts to get warmer and the Shaw Quadrangle begins to fill back up, UU organizes a full-scale concert. Previous performers of Block Party include Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Lil Yachty, Role Model and many more.
This year, UU will host Block Party on Friday, with headliners The Driver Era and Ravyn Lenae, along with Snow Strippers and student DJ Spike in the JMA Wireless Dome.
Harrington plans to attend Friday’s Block Party and is excited to make her own memories with her friends — similar to the ones her mom shared with her.
DJ Spike will open Block Party. Michel, a sophomore at SU, previously performed at local events like The Westcott Theater DJ Competition and the Hot Dog Hop bar crawl, as well as opening for artists like Ian Asher in April.
Snow Strippers, an EDM duo, were formed in 2021 known for their popular song “Under Your Spell,” which currently has over 285 million streams on Spotify, along with numerous collaborations with artist Lil Uzi Vert. The pair is made up of producer Graham Perez and lyricist Tatiana Schwaninger.
SU senior Kierra Charles found a new favorite band before Friday’s show. Before her fourth and final Block Party, Charles began listening to Snow Strippers when she learned of their appearance. She said she was pleasantly surprised with the group’s EDM hits.
“I didn’t listen to them before, but I started to when I heard they were coming. I really like their vibe, too,” Charles said. “I am excited to see what they’re going to bring to the stage.”
After DJ Spike and Snow Strippers, the headliners will take the stage, including Ravyn Lenae. Lenae signed to Atlantic Records at 16. Since then, her viral hit “Love Me Not” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, helping her win Billboard’s 2025 R&B Rookie of the Year and gain over 32 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Though Harrington occasionally listens to Lenae, she admits she’s not a huge fan.
The Driver Era, composed of brothers Ross Lynch (of Teen Beach Movie and Austin & Ally) and Rocky Lynch, recently released its album, “Obsession” in April 2025. Some of the duo’s most popular hits include “A Kiss,” “Afterglow” and “Preacher Man.” Before the pair formed, the brothers were both in the band R5 with their other siblings, until it disbanded in 2018.
Chloe Liddle, a sophomore at the University of Delaware that was invited by her friend at SU, plans on traveling five hours from Delaware to SU’s campus for the event. Liddle said she started listening to Ross Lynch when he was in R5, when its promotional videos would play on Disney Channel. This summer, she saw The Driver Era three times at different East Coast tour stops.
“I’ve been a fan since I was about 6 years old, so for over 10 years,” Liddle said. “This is going to be my 25th time seeing (R5 and The Driver Era).”
This will also be Liddle and her friend’s third time seeing The Driver Era together. To celebrate, they plan on going all out for the occasion by wearing coordinating Rocky and Ross T-shirts from Etsy and spending Friday afternoon listening to a combined playlist of all of Block Party’s artists.
While Liddle, a self-proclaimed “die-hard fan” of The Driver Era, is looking forward to the brothers’ performance, other attendees, like Charles, have been devoting their attention to Snow Strippers and Lenae.
Charles has high expectations for the event, she said. She’s optimistic the show will be high-energy and “just the thing we need” before finals. She plans on attending with her roommate, and the two have been preparing by jamming out to Lenae, their most anticipated performer.
“A lot of indie Black girls love (Lenae). The Black community as a whole loves to see Black people up-and-coming and her music really hits a certain nerve…You couldn’t go anywhere this summer without hearing ‘Love Me Not,’” Charles said.
