By mid-afternoon on Saturday, the Connecticut River will have turned into a sea of rubber tubes, plywood rafts and floating bodies.
The 12th annual Tubestock will give students the chance to listen to live music and cool off in the water, imbibing in legal and illegal drinks -- with temperatures expected to hit record highs this weekend.
Although Tubestock has become a Summer term tradition at Dartmouth, the College maintains a complete separation from the event.
The tradition evolved from a daylong party on the river thrown by Rich "Boomer" Akerboom '80 for his friends during the summer of 1987.
At the original event, Akerboom, a former brother of the Chi Heorot fraternity, played with his band on the deck of his house, the "River Ranch," while his friends watched from the river.
Around 200 students attended the first Tubestock and soon the event caught on. Year after year, more and more people, including Dartmouth students, rallied into the water.
The event soon took on proportions of other weekends, such as Homecoming and Winter Carnival.
This year's event will be similar to those of years past -- but with better weather.
Last year, students and local residents braved through gusty winds, raindrops and cloudy skies during Tubestock, with temperatures loomed below 70 degrees.
This year, Tubestock will kick off midday and continue through the day until around 5 p.m.
Each fraternity and sorority house is expected to make and design their own rafts to float down the river.
Although the party will be provided, students must come prepared for the event. Anyone expecting to float on Saturday needs to borrow or buy an inner tube.
