Also written by Hannah Wagner.
“Work hard, play hard” doesn’t just mean frat parties and beer. UVA hosts many events that bring our community together and offer a great way to get out of the library. If you plan to call UVA your home or already do, check out these events before you walk across the stage on graduation day.
Check out the top 10 events that give UVA students serious FOMO.
1. Lighting of the Lawn
Held in December every year, students fill the lawn to watch a cappella groups perform Christmas classics and to see the Rotunda flooded with a light show. “I think one great thing is that so many people go… I think every time I’ve gone I [lose] the group I went with and I’m walking through the crowd looking for them and I just keep running into other people I know. That’s probably the most fun part of the event,” UVA third year art history and archaeology major Will Pedrick said. It’s also a wonderful time to celebrate before winter break and exam week. “People usually go home after exams so it’s one of the last times of the semester where everyone’s all together,” Pedrick added.
2. Activities Fair
Although first years benefit most from the fair, it’s also great for returning students who already tried clubs out and want to see friends or try something new. Plus, you get to take a look at the hundreds of different student groups—from club teams to theater groups to study abroad opportunities—and meet other students who look forward to adding you to their club’s listserv and give advice.
Robert Anton, a UVA first year student studying engineering, recommended going with friends and just taking in all the opportunities. “Sign up for everything then remember to filter everything you don’t want to do [later],” Anton said. From people dressed in full ski attire, to people handing out free food and stickers, the fair is definitely a must-see for Wahoos trying to get more involved.
3. President’s Speaker Series for the Arts
Launched in 2013, this series aims to bring high profile “global leaders” to UVA to speak about the importance of the arts. With Tina Fey in 2013 as the inaugural speaker and Kevin Spacey in 2014, the series started off strong. Hannah Beaman, a UVA third year studying human bio, still has quotes saved on her phone from Fey’s talk. “I really liked when she was talking about watching movies in the basement of Clem and she described it as… part of an ‘abstinence program we accidentally founded,’” Beaman remembered. “I thought that was funny.”
Erin Sutherland, a UVA fourth year foreign affairs major and Spanish minor loves the focus on the arts in this series, and said that changed her view of the Drama Department. “I expected Tina Fey to talk more about her experience specifically as a student at UVA and so it was interesting that she focused more on her time specifically in the drama department and how that really impacted the rest of her career,” Sutherland said. “It did make me have a greater appreciation for the UVA Drama Department in a way that I hadn’t before.”
4. A Basketball Game
While the football games are fun for sundresses and bow ties, the basketball games rattle JPJ with energy. The bleachers literally tremble under the enthusiasm of the student section. “JPJ has one of the most electric atmospheres for any sporting event I have ever attended, and to be part of that is something that you only have while you’re at UVA,” said Brian Walter, third year history and religious studies major.
Although we’re still reeling over the NCAA tragedy (let’s not talk about it), we played a spectacular season. Also, being undefeated at home really made the trek to JPJ worth it. The love for the game stems mostly from our love for our coach and our team. “They’re all really friendly,” Amrita Singh, UVA first year student studying astronomy, said about the players. “[Cavalier coach] Tony Bennett looked at me once, I thought I was gonna die,” added Walter.
5. Rotunda Sing
To introduce the new students to grounds, UVA opens the year with Rotunda Sing. What better way to wind down after the first week or so of classes and a great crash course in the many, many, many a cappella groups here? It’s also a great way for the groups to get new recruits, for new students to decide which group they would like to audition for and free music for those of us who prefer sitting in the audience. “A cappella is such a big part of UVa culture and I didn’t know that before,” said Ruhi Parvatam, a UVA first year.
6. Final Fridays
On the last Friday of the month, the Fralin Museum stays open late inviting students, professors and community members to enjoy the exhibitions while socializing and gorging themselves on hors d’oeuvres. “They had strawberries, and with the dining halls, I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen a strawberry,” said Sarah Fischer, a UVA first year planning on studying drama.
And while many people are drawn in by the food, the atmosphere is really the best part. “They always have docents hanging around who would tell you about the pieces and they have live music and it just felt really classy,” Fischer said, referring back to the 15-minute spotlight talks on works and performances from student groups and live musicians.
7. Foxfield
You know it’s Foxfield when sunhats start disappearing from Charlottesville shops by mid-April. “[Foxfield] is a rite of passage for UVa students and they should exercise that rite as many times as they can,” said third year Sarah Nelson. While this is a bi-annual horserace, the main event happens in the spring. “It’s an awesome thing to do as the semester winds down, as exams start coming. It’s really sort of a last hurrah for an entirely fun event that’s all about fun really,” said Charles Hancock, a UVA fourth year studying commerce. The joke around campus goes, “If you see a horse, you’re doing it wrong.”
Organizations like clubs and Greek houses purchase plots on a big field where they have food and drinks, completely losing their minds with alcohol while looking like they belong in a yacht magazine ad. Girls like to wear Lilly dresses and big hats while guys wear bow ties and colorful pants. The entire event is super shambly and the line for the port-a-potties is always so long, but it is a blast. Even if you don’t drink, watching the beautiful trashiness of the whole event is pretty darn fun. Plus, free food!
8. Voices of the Class
We are more than our GPA and SAT/ACT scores. Voices of the Class is an annual student-produced comedy series celebrating the personalities, not the statistics, of the incoming class. Admissions essays from the entering class inspire the sketches, with anonymous quotes lifted from the essays themselves. “It’s just a fun group of people that get together to work on the show and the final product is also very hilarious,” UVA third year history major Madi Lahey said. Past productions included coming out of the closet—as a nerd, an awkward first date and a song composed entirely out of lines from essays.
9. Pancakes for Parkinson’s
Batter up! On homecoming weekend every year, Pancakes for Parkinson’s takes over the lawn to sell—you guessed it—pancakes. All proceeds benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation, an organization aggressively working to cure the Parkinson’s and help people living with the disease today. It’s an entirely student run organization with good food for a good cause. “Pancakes for Parkinson’s is a very special event because it’s one of the largest philanthropies at UVA,” said Lexie Riccolo, a UVA third year studying in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. “It’s just amazing to see such a dedicated group of students coming together to fight an awful disease that affects so many people.”
“It all runs on donations so you can really get to know the people involved. It’s a great way to kick off the football game as well with a great cause in mind,” said fourth year Sofia Lamrissi-Garcia. Plus, who doesn’t want free pancakes?
10. The Virginia Film Festival
Since the late 80s, the Virginia Film Festival has brought Hollywood premiers, documentaries and experimental films to Charlottesville. The festival events bring in community members, film experts and students alike. “My favorite part about the film festival is definitely that in addition to getting to see the films in a lot of really cool venues around Charlottesville and grounds, there’s an opportunity to talk to filmmakers and actors and writers about what when into making the films,” said Lucie Lyon, a UVA second year media studies major. She mentioned enjoying hearing from actresses turned directors like Meg Ryan (Sleepless in Seattle) and Oscar winners like Oliver Stone. With free student tickets available for the majority of their screenings, it’s a great way to view films on all sorts of topics.
Still feeling the FOMO? Check out 7 bonus can’t miss events at UVA.
11. Welcome Week
UVA kicks off its new year with a welcome week. This week is full of festivities including a comedian, free food, and other sober events for students to mingle put on by the University Programs Council, a student-run organization. The activities vary from year to year but every first Wednesday, students gather on the lawn with picnic blankets and friends to watch every acapella group on grounds (you’ll get used to that) perform in front of a lit Rotunda. “It’s a great way to start off the year after a long summer away from UVA, and it’s a nice welcome event for the first years,” said fourth year Ryan Pledger.
12.Block Party
This is the unofficial welcome to UVA. Every year, Wertland gets lit. All the houses down the street throw huge open parties with deafening music and lots of beer. While all the first years gather in hordes and walk into stranger’s apartments, older students gather to see their friends after a long summer away.
13. Halloweekend
Never miss Halloweekend at UVA. What I learned my first year at UVA was that students go hard—with costumes. You better secure three, just in case. There are usually a ton of parties Thursday, Friday and Saturday. If you are of age, the bars are where its at. Plus, there’s usually a football game. Those get super fun when you see an entire fraternity dress up as refs and throw 18 yellow flags whenever the actual ref calls a foul or watch people in hotdog costumes fall down the hill. However, the best part of Halloween at UVA is Trick or Treat on the lawn. Hundreds of adorable Charlottesville families bring their super cute children to walk around to all the lawn rooms for candy from lawn residents.
14. Puppies and Pumpkins
On a weekday in October, the amphitheater is turned into a haven of cider, donuts, pie, pumpkins and sweet pups. Everything is free for students who can carve whatever they want into a pumpkin and take pictures with a dog. The event is jokingly referred to as BYOD (bring your own dog) because the dogs that come to hang out are usually owned by students of friends in the Charlottesville community. “There’s always more pumpkins than puppies but the puppies are way cuter than the pumpkins,” said third year David Birkenthal.
15. First Snow(ball fight)
Every year after winter break, everyone returns to school, dreary from the cold weather. However, a magical thing happens. It snows. The night after the first snowfall at UVA, students gather on the lawn to have a snowball fight with the entire student body. The event information is spread entirely through word of mouth and social media. But eventually, the time comes and groups break into an all-out battle on the lawn as they hurl fresh snow at their friends. It’s a great way to get out your frustrations and enjoy some sweet winter bliss. It is also really fun to hurl snowballs at the poor souls who decide that is the best time to streak the lawn. Freakin first years, am I right?
16. Springfest
Thank the University Programs Council once again for providing a kick-ass event at the end of the spring semester. Springfest varies from year to year but it usually takes place on the lawn. It is a huge gathering with free fried chicken (thank you Wayside!), popsicles and various other delicious foods from local vendors. There are lawn games for students to get out and enjoy the spring weather as well as arts and crafts like flower crown making or mug decorating. Last year, I got a henna smiley face on my hand. It’s a huge event for students to enjoy the university before finals come. The best part? A free concert takes place afterwards.
17. MidSummers
And you thought UVA was done when the semester ended. Hah, no. One weekend every summer usually in July, student flock back UVA to couch surf and experience a plethora of parties. Students that take summer classes and others that have internships or jobs in Charlottesville over the summer open their apartment doors for a weekend of drinking. This one is pretty unofficial too, but some bars have special deals for this sudden influx of students in the middle of summer. It’s a nice break from being stuck in your hometown to remember what fun events exist at UVA.
*Updated on January 25, 2017 by Hannah Wagner to include 7 bonus events that UVA students won’t want to miss plus updated information and images in the original 10.
