Feature Cover Image Courtesy of James Madison University
Purple Reign. No, this isn’t a Prince tribute show. It’s actually something completely different!
A spring concert event hosted by the University Program Board (UPB) at James Madison University brings in students and local community members for an evening filled with giveaways, music, food, and a few hours of fun on Festival Lawn for FREE!! The 2026 Purple Reign concert features headlining rock band Flipturn, as well as openers Vessira and Chakra. Both opening bands performed at a previous UPB hosted event called Battle of the Bands, and was voted in by JMU students to open the Purple Reign music festival.
What is the University Program Board (UPB)?
JMU’s University Program Board is a student-run organization that brings events and programs to the Harrisonburg campus. All events are completely free to students and gives the JMU community the opportunity to create fun lasting memories on campus. To name just a few (because there’s a lot!) events that UPB hosts: the fall concert that featured Wallows in 2025, Late Night Breakfast, Themed Bingo Nights, Movie Nights, Krazy Karaoke, Mad Laughs, and so much more!
UPB consists of four committees (Community Engagement, Special Events, Amplify, and Spirit and Traditions) each focusing on spreading events throughout campus. For Purple Reign in particular, the Amplify committee takes charge of the event to provide good music and an entertaining event. UPB’s Instagram account is followed by over 10,000 people and showcases event posters, behind-the-scenes content, and entertaining video trends to market events.
The Women Behind Amplify and Purple Reign
While there are many people behind the making of Purple Reign, there’s two people to highlight who managed all the logistics of the event.
Elle Castro and Eva Johnson are the Amplify committee leaders and executives who create events like Purple Reign, the annual fall concert, Battle of the Bands, and more! The two collaborate with the many members in the committee to thoroughly produce an organized event for the JMU community.
Eva Johnson (left) and Elle Castro (right) outside JMU’s Warner Commons for a student event!
Events like Purple Reign are highly visible to JMU students, but not many people get to to experience of know about the detailed planning and collaboration Elle, Eva, and their committee go through to make events possible. When students attend Purple Reign, they see the bands, the stage, and the giveaways. What students don’t get to see is the months of planning, emails, meetings, and schedule preparations that go into making a big spring concert like Purple Reign run smoothly.
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An Interview with Amplify’s Program Director
Elle Castro: Amplify Program Director
Photo courtesy of Elle Castro (left photo) and Kyrene Phan (right photo)
What inspired you to get involved with UPB and the Amplify committee?
“I wanted to get involved with UPB because coming into college, I knew that I wanted to be an event planner one day. After attending my first GBM and hearing about all of the different committees, Amplify stuck out to me the most because I love live music.”
What made you want to take on a leadership role with UPB?
“After being part of Amplify for my entire freshman year, I knew that I was ready to apply to be on the Executive Board. I spent the whole year attending every live music event I could and I knew that that was 100% the path I wanted to go down in the future. Two years later, it is still the same path I want to pursue 😉 I wanted to get more involved in hands-on planning and start to make a name for myself in the industry. I am now about to take on my third year as the Amplify Director in the Fall.”
What advice would you give to other women who want to step into a leadership role on campus?
“My biggest piece of advice: don’t be afraid. I have always been super hesitant to try new things and put myself out there, but what’s the worst thing that can happen, you know? If you know it’s what you want to do, in my case I knew I wanted to plan concerts, then don’t be afraid to take the opportunity if it’s sitting right there in front of you. Landing an Executive role boosted my confidence and has truly allowed me to flourish at JMU.”
What was the planning process like when planning the Purple Reign concert?
“The process is like a roller coaster, I would say. Very chronological. So sometimes there’s a lot of dead waiting time, and then as soon as things start rolling, it’s non-stop. The entire planning process is roughly seven months long. I meet with a committee of twenty students every week and they help assist me with all of my planning. I love being able to hear fresh perspectives and bounce ideas off of such a diverse group— it makes for interesting conversations. But in the end, getting to see thousands of students having a great time at your event makes all of the stress and long hours of work totally worth it.”
Photo courtesy of Olivia Webster
Purple Reign Success
On Saturday, April 18, 2026, Elle, Eva, and the Amplify committee organized and brought the JMU community together with Purple Reign. With the help of other UPB members, the event rained in over 3,000 people to Festival Lawn. The three bands performing (Chakra, Vessira, and Flipturn) entertained the crowd for hours and created a core memory for students at JMU.
Going into her third year in UPB, Elle Castro is continuing her role as Amplify Director. UPB and JMU is looking forward to the events for the fall 2026 and spring 2027 that Elle and Amplify has to offer.
I love UPB, but I never realized who was running things behind the scenes! I love that there are two women running some of the biggest events of the year, and that they are killing it. So excited to see who is playing in the fall!!!!