It’s the start of a new year – new classes, new teachers, new friends and the annual Bonfire, a festival with live musical performances and a bonfire.

This will be the eighth year Program Board has put on the event. “This tradition was created to support the FAU athletics program, and build excitement for the first home football game,” said Program Board Director Jacob Sherbondy.

“Over the past few years, the original purpose of the annual fall Bonfire has been overshadowed by the magnitude of the acts we are bringing to perform,” continued Sherbondy. “In order to bring back the tradition of the bonfire and to focus part of the event more on the football game and athletics, we decided it would be best to restructure the run of the show.”

So, this year’s festival – which will be on Thursday, Sept. 10 – will debut a new agenda.

Instead of a single gathering, the actual bonfire will be held at the Boca campus’s track and field at 7 p.m. Then, at 9 p.m., the concert will begin at the Student Union outdoor stage.

Keeping the pep rally for the FAU vs. University of Miami football game on Friday, Sept. 11 and the Bonfire separate is meant to allow head football coach Charlie Partridge, the football team and any other speakers time to talk without any distractions from the bands.

Even with the schedule change, Program Board expects this year will maintain the event’s reputation “as the biggest bonfire in South Florida” by having 1,500 wooden pallets set on fire.

They are also expecting the concert to sell out. About 3,800 people attended in 2012, 2,400 in 2013 and 3,500 last year, according to previous UP reports.

The lineup will include headliner Hollywood Undead, an L.A. rap-rock group known for wearing masks. Multi-instrumentalist J-Dog of the band said that “they didn’t sound like anyone else, so why would they wanna look like anyone else,” according to Wikia.

“I’m surprised and happy to see Hollywood Undead play. They only play south Florida like once every four years. They put on a great show – pulling fans on stage and taking turns rhyming,” said Shimon Levi, junior mechanical engineer major and longtime fan of the band.

Freshman hospitality major Michelle Marinucci said, “It’s good that the school is getting well-known bands to play; it’s exciting. I am a big fan of Hollywood Undead.”

The opening act will be a local reggae group called ARTIKaL Sound System. These FAU alumni also played the Bonfire back in 2013.

Other past acts include pop punk stars All Time Low, Gainesville-native ska punk band Less Than Jake and rock band The Misfits.

Back in 2012, when the Bonfire featured The Misfits, Program Board paid the band $12,000 – the same went for Less Than Jake in 2013. All Time Low played last year for $45,000 and now Hollywood Undead will perform for $47,000.

The show is free for students with Owl Cards and $10 for outside guests. For more information about the Bonfire, visit http://fau.edu/studentunion/bonfire/ . To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster or the FAU Student Union box office.