FebFest, an annual Hamilton tradition meant to provide fun activities and cheer amid what is typically one of the coldest periods of the year, kicks off on Friday, Feb. 9. In past year, Feb Fest has served as a popular distraction as students battle cold weather and demanding academic schedules.
The eight-day celebration was first held at Hamilton in the 1920s, and took a hiatus before returning to the Hill in the early 2000s. FebFest is organized by the Campus Activities Board (CAB), the Office of Student Activities, and the Student Assembly Social Traditions committee.
The festivities will begin this Friday night, with a viewing party in Sadove for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony beginning at 8 p.m., and beginning an hour later, a CAB sponsored Late-Nite outdoor skating event will be held at Babbit Pavillion.
On Saturday, Hamilton’s weekend celebration of 100 years of ice hockey in Clinton will kick off with the first of two games. Down at the Clinton Arena, which was initially constructed in 1948–1949 and formerly hosted a minor league hockey team of the Eastern Hockey League, Hamilton’s Continentals will be playing Connecticut College’s Camels. On Sunday, the Continentals will play Tufts University on campus.
The following week, CAB has arranged a wide variety of events to appeal to a range of students, faculty, and staff members.
On Monday, there will be a beer tasting sponsored by Ommegang. The CAB comedy show, featuring the Lucas Bros, will also take place on Monday in the Wellin Hall/Schambach Center for Music and the Performing Arts. Moving forward through the week, CAB will also be sponsoring a chocolate tasting and the Mr. Hamilton pageant in the Annex, in which Hamilton male students from different student organizations are given the chance to compete in a variety of pageant activities and vie for the title of “Mr. Hamilton.”
The Women’s Hockey Classic, which is is the women’s sports verison of the Citrus Bowl, will be held on Friday, Feb. 16. FebFest will conclude on Feb. 17 with a chili cook-off, a bowling trip sponsored by the Bowling Club, and a Student Performing Arts Committee concert that will take place in the Events Barn. The chili cook-off is in its 25th year, though in previous years it has not always been associated with the Feb Fest activities.
