The 22nd annual Riley Dance Marathon event of the year, Rileypalooza, is happening on Friday April 22, in the SHS Fieldhouse. 

Rileypalooza is an end of the year celebration hosted by RDM committee members to show how much money they fundraised for Riley Hospital throughout the school year. 

“There is no better feeling than seeing a total raise up of how much money a school collectively raised for kids our age,” RDM president Ellie Brown said. 

It is a six hour event that happens right after school on Friday from 2 to 8. Students and teachers are able to attend. Parents can also come from 5 to 6.

If attending, students should bring their student ID, comfortable clothing and money to fundraise. 

At the event, there will be different groups which will switch through different stations. At the stations, people will learn about many different events and participate in activities. 

“We will all be in different color groups and different stations,” RDM Director of Special Events, Lexi Nix said. “And you will get to move around and see the different aspects of Riley. You will get to learn a dance and they will have different fun challenges for fundraising.”

This year’s Rileypalooza is different from the ones in the past years. One of the main differences is where it is located. Last year it was held on the football field, but this year it will be in the fieldhouse. 

Since 2000, only two Rileypaloozas have not happened in the fieldhouse. Brown thinks that there are many benefits to being in the fieldhouse rather than in the football field. 

“I think we realized that it being so spread out was an issue and when we get to all  be together in the fieldhouse we are closer together and the impact is more strong,” Brown said. 

She believes that this event gives both underclassman and upperclassmen a fun of the year celebration. 

It also gives students of all grades a chance for a fun end-of-year celebration while also giving back to the community, according to Brown.

She and Nix both agree that this year’s Rileypalooza is an even bigger event since COVID-19 made many traditional SHS experiences impossible. They hope that anyone who is able to attend does.

“I think people should go because it is going to be really fun,” Nix said. “ It’s our first normal marathon since COVID happened, so it is going to be a lot different than if anyone went last year. And it is just going to be a good experience for everyone. We are here to have fun and make money for Riley.”