There are usually several thousand visitors every year who check out the “smart” activities offered by the University of Debrecen at Campus Fesztivál. This year was no different either: Egyetem Tér proved to be the most popular event location during the daytime at 11. Campus Fesztivál. This time, activities related to the university were assigned a site next to the main entrance, underneath the foliage and in the shade of huge trees, next to the stadium’s UniFit section.
“The new location seems to have worked out quite well. Festival-goers very soon got to like the environment that is a lot more user-friendly than the one before, and we have received a lot of positive feedback,” said Mónika Rőfi, Head of Rendezvénykoordinációs és Alumni Központ [Event Coordination and Alumni Center].
Visitors could get to know the relaxed and “partying” aspects of the university through the playful, entertaining, and interactive activities available from the early afternoon to the evening hours, and they could also gain insight into several scholarly and scientific fields. Quite a few of them were interested in the spectacular experiments in chemistry or the virtual adventures provided by VR headsets, and there were also several hundreds of insta-poems, creative snapshots, henna tattoos and body paintings produced.
Other popular presentations included the preparation of microscope-based Cell-fies and the show of diagnostic ultrasound devices, where the lucky ones could get the experience of a lifetime when their “festival-first-timer” babies in the womb exposed themselves to viewers.
In addition to the ever-popular book-selfie and box puzzle services, the library of the university also prepared an almost one meter tall, huge memory book for those who wished to leave a message for posterity. Another favorite with the crowd was the automated camera situated in front of the special photo-wall. Besides the pictures taken here, you could also purchase souvenirs bearing the new coat of arms and logo of the university from the university gift shop’s “outpost,” which appeared at the festival for the first time this year. If you did not mind waiting in line for some time, you could also try out various medical instruments, try on scrubs, examine your hair under microscope, or even 3D print a piece of personalized jewelry for yourself.
This year, for the first time in the history of Egyetem Tér, there were also stands for representing law students, students of pharmacy, and even the staff employed by the hospital of the university.
“These ‘festival first timers’ significantly contributed to the already huge variety of activities available on offer and they proved to be real crowd-pleasers. The amount of participants in PatiKaland [Apothecary Adventure] was simply amazing, and the law students were quite unique with their penchant for conjuring up a pleasurable atmosphere whenever it was necessary,” said Zsuzsa Mándy, who was responsible for organizing and coordinating the various programs.
Anyone interested in law could find out more about it through participating in adventurous role plays called Öltözz be bírónak! [Put on a judge’s robe] and Hozz ítéletet! [Pass a verdict], while at the stand of the Faculty of Pharmacy, it was possible to concoct various ointments tailored for your personal taste and learn about different herbs used in medicine. For the first time in Campus history, Kenézy Gyula Egyetemi Kórház [Gyula Kenézy University Hospital] operated a screening and vaccinating station, where infectologists and hepatologists offered anonymous screening for HIV, HBC and HCV, and inoculated those who felt it necessary.
During the course of the four days of the festival, as many as 30 university units could introduce themselves to visitors attending the activities offered in a total of 16 wooden bungalows, where almost 200 volunteers, including members of the teaching staff and the student body, welcomed them in an area of twelve hundred square meters, while the university stage hosted 35 concerts and other stage productions altogether.
Formations taking the stage included young musicians of our institutions, like the band of Kossuth Gyakorló high school, a group called Funbasstix and a percussion duet from the Faculty of Music called LDB. Talk show celebrities, such as Imre Csernus, Gábor Zaher and Gábor Csató granted on-stage interviews, while the fun part was provided by stand-up comedians from Dumaszínház [appr.: Hot Air Theater]. The Saturday night gigs of the band Android, as well as of the formation called Impact, including our Rector, one of the Vice-Rectors, a dean and an ambassador, were huge successes with the audience. A sample of other bands appearing on stage here comprised PG csoport, Parno Graszt, Vis Maior, Marót Viki és a Nova Kultúr Zenekar, and Debrecen Dixieland Band.
The 11thCampus Fesztivál was attended by a record number of 108 thousand visitors, which figure did exceed even the expectations of the local organizers.
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