Rutgers Day Invites New Jersey to Explore, Play and Celebrate

The university's free, flagship event on Saturday, April 25, features more than 500 programs and activities

Rutgers University is throwing the ultimate block party - and the whole state is invited.

Free and open to the public, the university's largest annual open house and community celebrationat Rutgers University-New Brunswick, featuring more than 500 programs and activities, is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, on Busch campus in Piscataway, N.J., and the College Avenue and Cook/Douglass campuses in New Brunswick, N.J.

Attendees may decorate giant Rs at the R Garden on Voorhees Mall.

"It's a day for people to experience what Rutgers has to offer in a welcoming environment," said Patricia Kastner, senior director of strategic events and programs for Rutgers Communications and Marketing (R-Comm). "It's designed for everyone - faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, prospective students and community members."

Kastner added, "There's a little bit of everything for everyone of all ages."

Lauren Marshall, the associate director of strategic events and programs at R-Comm, said Rutgers Day is "a unique opportunity to experience the university in a completely different way - and a true point of pride for our community. It's a chance to showcase what makes Rutgers special through engaging and accessible experiences, from hands-on activities to live performances."

Whether you're a Rutgers Day veteran or new to the event, there are plenty of things to do. Here are recommendations for students, prospective students and their parents, families with children and other members of the Rutgers community.

The Rutgers Community

Rutgers Day is celebration of all things Rutgers - and everyone is welcome. It's an opportunity for alums to gather and reminisce as well as give members of the Rutgers community a chance to have a little college fun.

The Festivities Kick Off With a Parade (College Avenue) - Members of the Marching Scarlet Knights will strut their stuff during the Rutgers Day parade starting at 10:30 a.m. along Seminary Place. Marching band representatives also will host a table on Voorhees Mall featuring drums for visitors to pound.

A 50th Anniversary Bash for Mason Gross (College Avenue) - Students, staff and faculty of the Mason Gross School of the Artswill celebrate the school's 50th anniversaryat Bettenbender Plaza (in front of the Nicholas Music Center), 85 George St., New Brunswick.

"We have created a new zone on the Cook/Douglass campus to celebrate their anniversary," said Kastner.

Mason Gross activities include:

• Rehearsals by singers and instrumentalists

• Student recitals

• A Latin social dance workshop at noon

• Art activities for children

• An interactive drawing station

• Tables staffed by members of the school promoting summer and online programs

• A visual art exhibition in gallery space at 33 Livingston Ave. and a history of the theater department timeline exhibit at the Mabel Smith Douglass Library, 8 Chapel Drive

Catch Up With Fellow Alumni - Reunite with old college friends during various alumni engagement opportunities at all Rutgers Day locations: Busch, College Avenue and Cook/Douglass.

Rutgers Day attendees may check out a surgical robot and other activities at the Health Village on Busch Campus.

Check Out the Health Village (Busch) - The Health Village is focused on highlighting Rutgers Health programs and other health-related initiatives. In addition to free blood pressure and other health screenings, attendees can learn more about the university's health and wellness resources, as well as:

• Children may don surgical gowns (and hats and masks), grab some surgical tools and perform surgery on Jell-O brains alongside actual Rutgers neurosurgeons.

• See a surgical robot in action

• Get emergency preparedness tips

• Test your health and medical knowledge with trivia games

A popular attraction (and photo opportunity) of the Health Village is a giant, inflatable colon that people may walk through.

Plant sales at the Cook/Douglass location are a popular Rutgers Day tradition.

It's Also Ag Field Day (Cook/Douglass) - Presented by the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, adults and children may learn more about the university's environmental and agriculture-related programs and meet farm animals raised by students.

Ag Field Day features:

• Student exhibitions of cattle, goats, horses, pigs and sheep

• Arts and crafts

• Plant and flower sales

• Student club activities

There will be animal handling and fitting shows of pigs, cattle, sheep, goats and horses at the Red Barn on College Farm Road.

Families With Children

Rutgers Day is all about family fun and features scores of activities for children and parents.

Luciana Medina colors a Rutgers "R" at the R Garden on Voorhees Mall during Rutgers Day 2024.

Get Creative at the Zimmerli Art Museum (College Avenue) - Children and families are welcome at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick. Stop by for activities throughout the day, including a scavenger hunt and a drop-in art workshop. Galleries are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Snap Selfies at the R Garden (College Avenue) - This Rutgers Day staple - and a fun photo opportunity - is an art installation comprised of large, wooden Rutgers "R" sculptures decorated by members of schools and other university groups to highlight their mission, spirit and impact. Children may color and decorate their own paper Rs to take home.

A driver tests a "Formula 1" car on Busch campus during Rutgers Day 2018.

Get Fast and Furious: F1 Edition (Busch) - Experience innovation in motion with Rutgers Formula Racingas members of this student-run organization reveal their electric-powered Formula SAE race car. Watch live driving demonstrations as drivers push the fully electric machine through tight corners and tear through straightaways.

Catch the Seeing Eye Dog Show (Cook/Douglass) - Meet puppies in training to become guide dogs and observe their demonstration of skills. Presented by the Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Club of Rutgers University, which raises puppies for The Seeing Eye Inc., a Morristown, N.J.-based national nonprofit group.

Meet Furry Friends at the Petting Zoo (Cook/Douglass) - Piglets, lambs and kids will be on hand for visitors young and old to meet in the Round House at the Cook campus farm, 65 Sheepfold Lane, New Brunswick. Presented by the Veterinary Science Club.

Prospective Students and Their Parents

Thinking about going to school here? Rutgers Day is a fantastic way for prospective students and their families to experience what the university has to offer.

People stop by the Rutgers University Supply Chain Association (RUSCA) table during Rutgers Day 2022 on Busch campus.

Scope Out Schools, Departments and Student Clubs - Professors, staff and students from various school departments at Rutgers-New Brunswick will be on hand at Voorhees Mall (College Avenue) to highlight their programs and offer some Rutgers Day fun. Members of honor societies, student clubs and other groups will be there, too (including representatives from Air Force, Army and Navy ROTC units). Cook/Douglass will host "a wide representation of student organizations," said Kastner, adding that members of student clubs and societies will staff tables at Busch, too.

Cheer on Rutgers Athletics (College Avenue) - This tent, filled with school spirit, features appearances from student-athletes (who will sign autographs) as well as giveaways and an opportunity to snap photos with Sir Henry, the official mascot of the Scarlet Knights.

Get in the Zone, the Engineering Zone (Busch) - Students, staff and faculty from the Rutgers School of Engineering and affiliated groups offer a multitude of programs and activities planned:

• School representatives are hosting an Engineering Science Fair where visitors can see how ideas are transformed from fantasy into reality.

• Representatives from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering will show visitors how to sculpt polymer clay erasers as well as share ice cream made using liquid nitrogen.

• Members of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering also are hosting a hot glass demonstration, showing how molten rock turns to shimmering glass.

• Visitors may build a miniature catapult using rubber bands, plastic spoons and popsicle sticks to launch aluminum foil balls into a bucket.

Make Stuff at the Makerspace Place (Busch) - Rutgers Makerspace, features do-it-yourself equipment for Rutgers students, staff and faculty. Try your hand at welding with a virtual welding simulator and make a pinback button with a button maker at the Makerspace tent at the back of the Busch Student Center.

Students

There's plenty to do for Rutgers students, too.

Live Performances on Big R Stages at Busch, College Avenue and Cook/Douglass - A mix of dance groups, bands and solo artists perform throughout the day at all Rutgers Day locations. Members of FM radio station WRSU, the Voice of Rutgers, will serve as emcees for the College Avenue stage.

Members of the co-ed a cappella group Deep Treble perform on Voorhees Mall during Rutgers Day 2024.

Record Your Commencement Shoutout (College Avenue) - Seniors graduating in May should head over to Room 135 in Scott Hall to put on a cap and gown and record a short video "shoutout" to friends and family. Videos will be played on the jumbotron at SHI Stadium in Piscataway before the commencement ceremony kicks off.

Rutgers mascot Sir Henry (left) poses with young people during Rutgers Day 2024 on the College Avenue campus.

Sink Your Fangs Into a Marathon Reading (College Avenue) - Take to the stage on Voorhees Mall to read passages from Bram Stoker's "Dracula." Presented by the Department of English and the Writer's House, an undergraduate learning community. Participants receive a free copy of the book and may make their own imprints using the Scarlet Letterpress.

Dorm Rooms and Fire Safety (Cook/Douglass) - Witness a side-by-side "dorm room" fire demonstration (one room has fire sprinklers; the other doesn't) at 2 p.m. conducted by Rutgers Emergency Services, New Jersey Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board and Fire Sprinkler Union Local 696.

Know Your Limits (Cook/Douglass) - Take the wheel of a golf cart while wearing "Fatal Vision Goggles" to see how your perception changes under the influence of alcohol and then take a "walk and turn" field sobriety test. Presented by the Center for Communication and Health Issues, the student-led alcohol safety campaign RU SURE, the Rutgers Recovery House and the Rutgers University Police Department.