Live events are returning to College Royal weekend, but the general public isn’t invited to take part this time around. The annual University of Guelph open house, set for March 19 and 20, will offer in-person activities for staff and students only, as well as their families.
Due to pandemic-related restrictions, select virtual events are set for the general public.
“We do start planning College Royal almost a year in advance,” commented Oresta Hewryk, this year’s College Royal Society president, noting there was uncertainty about what the state of pandemic restrictions would be during the event.
“If we had been planning College Royal right now … it obviously would be different, but these were decisions that had to be made in December and January, right at the peak of the Omicron wave.”
As announced on March 9, the provincial mask mandate is set to be lifted in most situations on March 21, a day after the College Royal weekend.
Held during the last weekend of March Break, College Royal typically provides an opportunity for people to explore the university campus and see what professors and students are up to, with a wide variety of demonstrations, activities, games, lectures, displays, shows and more.
Many of the traditional favourites will go ahead this year, including Old MacDonald’s New Farm, dog and cat shows, tug-of-war and logging competitions, pancake flipping, a juried art show and more. A full schedule can be found here.
Events to be streamed live include horse, dairy, beef and sheep shows, as well as a “mystery animal” show.
“Next year we hope for a full version of College Royal,” commented Hewryk, who noted students will gain experience from this year’s event to help in 2023. “We are a little disappointed we can’t welcome the whole community (this year).”
Last year’s College Royal was offered virtually to all, with a mix of recorded and streamed events.
A majority of public events were cancelled in 2020 in light of the then-burgeoning pandemic.
Now in its 98th year, the popular, free annual event traditionally attracts about 20,000 people over two days. It’s the largest university open house of its kind in North America, boasts the College Royal Society website.
