The University of Guelph’s 98th College Royal, March 19-20, will return to being mostly in-person this year and will be open only to students, staff and their immediate families.
Before the pandemic, the annual open house was the largest student-run open house in North America, attracting thousands of public visitors.
“We look forward to sharing College Royal with the broader community next year,” said Oresta Hewryk, president of the College Royal Society. “However, ongoing pandemic restrictions and the uncertainty around the scope of public health guidelines at key planning stages made it prudent to decide to limit College Royal to members of the U of G community.”
The open house will also include some virtual events. All in-person events will follow U of G’s COVID-19 safety protocols including mandatory vaccination for those twelve years old or older, medical masks and social distancing.
Under this year’s theme of “Into the Royal Forest,” the event will be “a showcase of experiential learning” that highlights the importance of agriculture for the University community, said Hewryk.
Exhibits are run by U of G organizations from the Future Vets Club to Creative Encounters With Science to the Figure Skating Club.
Running since 1925, the open house will include in-person classic events such as livestock shows and Old Mac’s New Farm. Other events such as the cat show and voting for the art show will be held online.
“We are extremely pleased to be able to continue the tradition of College Royal in-person this year,” said Hewryk.