The STIR Arts Festival was established in 2004 by the Student Arts Council and 2004-2005 Arts Intern Brian Green and was conceptualized as a 24-hour arts festival in conjunction with Charter Week in the early spring of 2005. They primarily used the Schwartz Center's Theater Lab and set up areas for students to create visual art as well as coffee stations, timed food deliveries throughout the event, and performances by student bands, a cappella groups, and Rathskellar. They planned the event from 6 pm Friday night through the same time the following day. Unfortunately that weekend coincided with an ice storm and the event was shut down around 4 am Saturday morning. The students who were there insisted it was a great idea and asked it to re-mount the following year.

In the summer of 2005, it was decided to move STIR to the fall to avoid weather problems and to jumpstart the arts community at the beginning of the year. The event was moved to the Patterson Plaza, the courtyard in front of the Schwartz Center. The event was kept as a 24-hour festival and featured tents for visual art supplies; performances by a student band, a professional jazz combo, and an improv event between Rathskellar and Dad’s Garage Comedy Troupe. This event was co-sponsored by the Student Activities Office's "Fridays @ 10" initiative. The festival also included spur-of-the-moment events like a 3 am drumming circle, a chalking contest, and a workshop in stage combat.

In the summer of 2006, the festival was reduced from a 24-hour festival with a linear schedule to a six-hour festival with a three-ring circus structure, creating an onslaught of artistic activity. The festival featured workshops, performances, and contests meant to bring attention to Emory's student arts groups and Atlanta professional groups. Highlights included showings of student films, a chalk art contest judged by Emory's STIPE Society, a haiku chalking contest, a poetry slam sponsored by the Dark Tower Project, a bhangra workshop sponsored by Karma, a performance and improv workshop by Rathskellar, No Strings Attached, and a "So You Think You Can Dance?" contest. A special guest performance was given by Several Dancers Core.