Piazza will probably always be my favourite National Rev event. I’ll admit I’m a little biased – I’m a Warwick Revver through and through and Warwick Rev is the home of Piazza – but that’s not the only reason. Piazza has charms that the bigger events can’t match. Whereas WiM and RESITS both last a whole week, Piazza is just a weekend, which means less stress, (slightly) less exhaustion and less hard work. WiM changes place every year so it’s difficult to become attached to one location, RESITS is in Edinburgh, a long way from a lot of the England dwelling members of Rev, but the University of Warwick is the most central Rev university and every year you can return to see what is the same and what has changed. For old Warwick Revvers who still live in Coventry, it’s hard to avoid, especially this year, when the weekend was also host to Warwick Rev’s twentieth birthday party. Even if you left Rev years ago, you’re still welcome here.
So, what is Piazza Weekend? It takes its name from the Piazza; a mythical place lying deep at the heart of the University of Warwick, between the Student Union, the Arts Centre and Rootes building. It’s a source of many rumours and legends. Sometimes, it’s even said, Rev concerts used to be held on the Piazza itself, before Warwick Student Arts Festival and rain and football intervened. Whilst no one is sure how true that is, the weekend of Warwick Rev’s Summer concert is and will always be known as Piazza Weekend.
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