Recently, the City of Dublin hosted its annual Splatter Festival at Emerald Glen Park to celebrate its cultural diversity by hosting performances, food stands, an art exhibition, and small businesses. 

This year marks the 12th anniversary of Splatter, which began in 2011 but was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned in 2021, and over the course of the past few years has seen increasing attendance from both Dublin residents and visitors from other Tri-Valley cities. This remained the case on September 14th, when hundreds of people flocked to Emerald Glen Park to watch a wide variety of live music and dance performances, explore multicultural foods, and support local small businesses. For students, Splatter also provided an opportunity to get together with friends or even participate in the festival itself—through performances and volunteering. 

However, despite Dublin residents’ high anticipation and attendance, Dublin and Emerald High students noted that the event, to their disappointment, fell short of their expectations. 

“It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad,” said Irene Moon, a senior at DHS, when asked about her experience. “It felt like a mini Alameda County Fair merged with the Dublin Farmer’s Market.”

This seemed to be the overwhelming opinion of the high schoolers who attended Splatter. Many of the attractions in this year’s festival consisted of rides for young children (which required a fee), and activities (e.g. face painting), none of which were appealing to high school-aged attendees. Food options were plentiful and diverse, including Chinese, South Indian, Italian, Mexican, and classic American cuisine, but the long lines discouraged students from buying. 

Many students also expressed their disdain towards the prevalence of tribute bands rather than original music in the live performance lineup. The Taylor Swift cover band, Twist on Taylor, became notorious among students. “The Taylor Swift music, I think, was mid,” said Siya Chhibber, a student at Emerald High School. “They should’ve got bands to play their own original music.” Several others echoed this sentiment, believing that the cover band could not come close to comparing with the original quality of one of their favorite singers’ songs.

Despite the widespread criticism surrounding Splatter, a few students still found it enjoyable, largely due to the time they were able to spend with their friends and the few attractions that did cater to teenagers. 

“I loved it. I saw this new shop, and [the owner] sold pins of this band I love, which I never really find anywhere,” Siya said, expressing her interest in being able to seek out Splatter’s small business stands that sold unique products—something that many teenagers can relate to.

“The High Life,” Splatter’s art exhibition, was held inside of The Wave, a swimming center adjacent to Emerald Glen Park, and was also well received by high school students. The exhibition displayed 2D and 3D art created by high school students and included the opportunity for contributors to earn first, second, and third place for a cash reward. 

“I think all of the art there was incredible, especially since the gallery spanned across different mediums like photography, acrylic, and even beading. The art was also very diverse, with a lot of people drawing from their different cultural backgrounds,” said Iris Shen, a senior at DHS, who attended Splatter primarily to view the artwork in “The High Life.” “Overall, I feel like the gallery and Splatter as a whole was a good place for people and businesses around the area to share their livelihoods.”