The Gin Blossoms will be playing in the front of campus near Elkins Hall as a part of Kasasa Rocks Nicholls, a free, family-friendly campus festival put on by the Coastal Commerce Bank on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

The event will be a Halloween-themed festival with games and food from local vendors.

The festival will begin with a Halloween costume contest for students ages 15 and up, with $1,000 in cash prizes available. Students can register for the contest from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. near the stage between Elkins Hall and Highway 1.

All proceeds will benefit the Nicholls State University Foundation.

Coastal Commerce Bank president and CEO Mark Folse said, “We have been proud supporters of Nicholls for many years. This concert is an opportunity to join with the students, alumni and community of Thibodaux in celebrating the University and what it contributes to our area.”

The headline of the event is an American pop rock band from Tempe, Ariz. called the Gin Blossoms.

According to ginblossoms.net, the band’s official Web site, the Gin Blossoms formed in 1987 and got its name from a photo of William Claude Dukenfield, an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer. The caption of the photo said, “W.C. Fields with ‘gin blossoms,’ ” which referred to what appeared to be the actor’s gin-ravaged nose, but was actually a skin condition called Rosacea.

The Gin Blossoms have released three albums and had several hits in the 90s, including the Billboard hits “Hey Jealousy,” “Found Out About You,” “Til’ I Hear It from You” and “Follow You Down.”

The band broke up in 1997 but reunited in 2002 when it released a DVD, resumed touring and promised a fourth album. Four years later on Aug. 8, 2006, the Gin Blossoms’ fourth album, “Major Lodge Victory,” was released through Hybrid Recordings. Their fifth album, “No Chocolate Cake,” was released on Sep. 28, 2010 through 429 Records.

The band still tours throughout the United States and has a fan base across several generations.

Opening for the Gin Blossoms will be Owen Plant, a Jamaican-born troubadour who combines the styles of Bob Marley in his vocals with the guitar work of Jack Johnson.

According to owenplant.net, the artist’s official Web site, Plant has released many albums and extended plays, both solo and with bands since he began his music career in 2000. He most recently fronted the Sunshine Brothers, an upbeat Santa Barbara band now on a hiatus.

Coastal Commerce Bank’s Kasasa program will be sponsoring the event. According to the bank’s Web site, “Kasasa is a collection of bank accounts that pays checking account holders to use their account with what interests them most—high interest, automatic savings or iTunes downloads.”

Kasasa is only available at a few of America’s “finest community financial institutions,” which includes Coastal Commerce Bank. More information on the Kasasa product can be found at coastalcommerce.com/personal/checking.