WIUX’s annual free, student-ran music festival hits Dunn Meadow for its 40th year this April 11th!
What is Culture Shock?
It’s a free music festival thrown by IU’s student radio station, WIUX, held every Spring in Dunn Meadow. We started this tradition in 1986, making this year's instance the 40th anniversary. It’s going to be one to remember, taking place on Saturday, April 11th from 12pm to 9pm. The lineup consists of local bands, DJ sets, and worldwide acts such as this year's headliner coming from Australia: dreampop darling Hatchie! It’s a whole day of celebration. From noon to night, Dunn Meadow will be flooded with live music, student vendors, local businesses, lawn games, and plenty of giveaways. Anyone is welcome - students, professors, Bloomington locals, the kids you babysit, even your dog. Come set up a picnic blanket with your friends, enjoy the onset of the sunny season, and listen to live music all day long.
What’s the music like? (featuring songs to hear)
This year's live performances center around indie acts and dreamy sounds, ranging from pedal-driven noisy rock, coming-of-age feeling shoegaze songs, to warm electronic melodic tracks and sweet jangly guitars. Also in the mix are two DJ sets to keep you dancing throughout the whole day.
12:00-12:35pm - Culture Shock kicks off with a math-rock-emo-shoegaze inspired set from local band Twin Lilies, the people’s pick from last fall’s Battle of the Bands.
→ Featured track: Turkish Royals
1:00-1:45 - DJ Superstar (also a Bloomington local) will be spinning some alternative dance and dreampop tracks.
2:15-3:00 - Indianapolis’ own Tile will radiate some electronic ambience from the speakers.
→ Featured track: A ( from Warmfth)
3:30-4:15 - Band Verity Den comes from North Carolina to strum some ethereal, jangly chords with their noisy indie rock songs.
→ Featured track: wet glass
4:45-5:30 - Sweet downtempo beats and electronic-based dream-pop from Simple Syrup.
→ Featured track: Weightless
6:00-6:35 - Jangled-out shoegaze-dream pop from Indiana-based band Wishy.
→ Featured track: Over and Over
7:00-7:45 - Second DJ set and penultimate act, DJ Immaterial’s selected ambient electronic tracks.
→ Featured track: Clouds at Angels Gate
8:10pm - The headlining final act, Australian dreampop-baggy singer and songwriter Hatchie. Bring your least smudge-proof lipstick and embrace the Liquorice look.
→ Featured Track: The Key
Listen to the full CS '26 Sampler here
What else will be there?
Culture Shock goes beyond the sonic experience. Bring a cash or a Venmo account because Dunn Meadow will also be lined with clothes, trinkets, merch, and more. Plato’s Closet is selecting their very best finds off the racks and bringing clothes to sell. You’ll also have the opportunity to snag some amazingly priced merch from artists like Mitski, Whitney, and Culture Shock’s very own headliner Hatchie thanks to Secretly Canadian Group. WIUX has a bunch of new merch up for sale, such as bumper stickers, CS ‘26 t-shirts, newly designed pins, and more. Also, student-ran Bring Your Own Business vendors, selling the perfect vintage accessory to supplement your Culture Shock-Indietronica-2000s-Technology-Revival outfit or that heavy cotton IU hoodie you’ve been searching for since the Natty. But digging through the $5 bins can be tiring, so lucky for you there will also be free cans of Redbull distributed at the festival. We keep the dancing going all day long. This requires food too, of course. Shout out to Bucceto's Pizza & Pasta for donating FREE FOOD for this festival! If American-Italian isn’t your thing, a few other food vendors will be a part of the celebration. A great meal deserves a great desert, so we will also be offering free Baked! Cookies! ! !
Apart from the fashion and food, the non-music offerings of this year’s Culture Shock include a myriad of outdoor lawn games thanks to Union Board. For all you non-Hoosier students, get ready to learn the sacred Indiana ritual of cornhole. Art activities such as printmaking and custom shirt designing will also be free for attendees. Come with a lucky token in your pocket because the day will also consist of many giveaways: day passes to Hoosier Heights rock climbing gym, movie tickets from Buskirk Chumley, Pizza X gift cards, and (can you even believe it) MAGDALENA BAY TICKETS for their show at IU Auditorium later in the month.
But what do I wear?
Think 15 years ago, your older sister's quirky best friend who dressed strange with bold colors and mixed patterns, and really loved Imogen Heap. Skinny scarves, paperboy caps (a plus if they’re sequin), bright colorblocking, mp3 player attached to the hip, or any type of wearable technology. A Juno background character, the odd pair of shoes you have which you never quite have a right place to wear them to, Shibuya-Kei, whatever inspiration you can grab from a late 2000s picture of M.I.A., bright colored tights, every pin find you could ever find from your miscellaneous jewelry stash, thrifted studded belt, what you dreamt you wore to a Sweet Trip concert in 2011, liberty spikes, Russian trapper hat (if liberty spikes are a no-go), a ladybug shaped bag, star-patterned skirt, any item of clothing that screams this year’s quasi-theme: INDIETRONICA
Anything else to know?
This is the day to celebrate local artists, music, friendship, and feel the joy of community. WIUX has everything waiting for your enjoyment at Dunn Meadow, all you need to do is show up. Bring anyone you know, or show up solo and make a friend out on the lawn. If you truly won’t be able to make this bound-to-be-perfect day, IUSTV has you covered with a live broadcast of the festival! But if I were you, I’d cancel any other plans you have that Saturday - this isn’t something you should miss. Come dance to your hearts capacity at CULTURE SHOCK - 4/11, 12pm-9pm, in Dunn Meadow.
