WKU’s weekend music event is back after a two-year hiatus.

Niteclass, the ongoing music, dance and entertainment series, is returning to WKU on Friday.

The series’ manager, Louisville sophomore Robert Thompson, said the weekly concert features a variety of genres from jazz to country to one-man shows.

The all-age music venue had retired in 2009, but is coming back to Bowling Green after continuous high demand for its return, demonstrated by more than 300 people who liked the Facebook page “Get WKU to bring back Niteclass.”

Niteclass was born in 1988 as a weekly venue where local bands, comedians and dancers could showcase their talents every week. The concert, which is free for WKU students and $5 for non-students, will kick off at 8:45 p.m. and take place every Friday through the rest of the year in Downing University Center’s Subway restaurant.

As the concert chair of the Campus Activities Board, Thompson said that he began managing Niteclass at the start of this semester.

He said Niteclass returned primarily because of the hundreds of people who supported the Facebook page.

“I believe it’s a great way to get in contact with the most students,” Thompson said. “We want to broaden our reach by having a broad range of genres.”

Thompson said there are local bands and some from Louisville that participate in Niteclass. He hopes to eventually bring in out-of-state talent as well.

Niteclass can reach a large number of people because the venue plays such a wide variety of music genres, Thompson said.

Hoan Werdna, who graduated from WKU in 2004, remembers Niteclass as a showcase for traveling bands coming to WKU and a place where the talent of the north could meet that of the south. He also said the lack of security may have been the cause for Niteclass being shut down.

“At some points, they got out of hand when the crowd exceeded the capacity of Niteclass,” Werdna said.

Thompson confirmed that Niteclass will again take place in the Subway at DUC, but that if the need arises, they would look for a better venue somewhere else on campus.

Bowling Green junior Andrew Shaneyfelt said he has never been to a Niteclass, but that he looks forward to experiencing it.

“I’m actually pretty excited for it to come back,” Shaneyfelt said. “It helps support local artists.”

Thompson said his vision for Niteclass is to get talent from across the region to appear at the shows. He said he is excited for the kickoff show this Friday.

“We’ve been planning it for ages,” Thompson said. “Hopefully people will keep coming back because they enjoy the music.”