The return of College Royal is setting up to be a great one.
For the 99th year, the event will run at the University of Guelph March 18 and March 19 and will be its first fully in-person iteration since 2019.
College Royal was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. A virtual event took place in 2021. Last year, an in-person event was held for staff and students, while virtual events were held for the general public.
"We’re really excited to welcome the public back and run the event to its full extent," Megan Levesque, the president of the College Royal Society, said in a news release.
"It’s a Guelph tradition that lots of people have had, and then also maybe a new one for some, too."
It's the largest student-run university open house in North America, and has drawn up to 30,000 people at previous events.
The 2023 edition will spell the return of the popular milkshakes from the department of food science, and the Ontario Veterinary College's teddy bear surgery.
Other events like a square-dancing competition, a cat show, livestock show, the pancake flip, bubble soccer and kids carnival are on the schedule.
There will also be display booths representing different clubs and organizations within the university, and will all be judged on meeting 'The Great One' theme.
And while the theme is indeed dedicated to Wayne Gretzky, the one most associated with the number 99, it shold be noted the greatest hockey player to lace up the skates will not be in attendance.
Levesque said it's the only year they could really lean into the number 99.
"If next year is better, we can call it the ‘even greater one,’" she said, adding the 100th anniversary in 2024 will take a look back at the College Royals past.
