Nothing says welcome to college quite like a Program Council party. The group’s annual “Block Party on the Boulevard” event features two pop musical sensations Aaron Carter and The Happy Alright.

“At first, Aaron Carter was merely an idea,” Program Council President Geenah Krisht said. “But Program Council is all about working towards challenging goals.”

Program Council started the annual Block Party on the Boulevard tradition two years ago. Vice President of Programming Lilian Foster said Program Council began planning this year’s event in May and, instead of bringing another DJ to campus, sought out a live artist that could relate to the SMU crowd.

“The process for Aaron required paperwork and a great deal of negotiation with his people, our agent and our concert chair,” Foster said. “We were really lucky to be presented the opportunity.”

Considering the singer’s top single from 2000 “Aaron’s Party,” Carter, now 25, seemed a natural fit for the Boulevard.

“Personally, I am hoping to hear some of Aaron’s old school stuff as well as some of his new singles,” Krisht said.

Carter’s stop at SMU will be the second leg of his “After Party Tour” featuring a set list of relatively unknown songs like “Another Earthquake,” “City Lights” and crowd favorite “That’s How I Beat Shaq.”

“The tour is like me, being creative and thinking about how much fun I had with ‘Aaron’s Party,’” Carter said in an interview before his performance at Rocky Mountain College. “I thought it’d be cool to keep the party going.”

SMU students seem equally enthused for the music selection.

“After the N’Sync at the VMA’s and the Backstreet Boys comeback, I’ve been re-living the ’90s and early 2000s. I never saw Aaron in concert when I was younger,” Foster said. “Sharing the nostalgic experience with all of my friends is such an exciting opportunity.”

The Happy Alright is a local pop-punk, alternative band that has performed at Dallas’ House of Blues, Trees in Deep Ellum and The Prophet Bar close to SMU. The three man group has won numerous competitions nationwide. Their most popular single “Don’t Make a Difference” has more than 2,000 views on YouTube.

Dance the night away this Saturday at the flagpole. Aaron Carter and The Happy Alright will hit the stage from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Food will be provided by Bubba’s Cooks Country and several campus organizations will set up entertainment booths for students.