No need to be sad!

Today, June 10, 2020 was supposed to be a very special day – the day the 5^th WU Summer Celebration was scheduled to be held. This year, the celebration, which turns Campus WU into one huge party zone for thousands of students, faculty, staff, and visitors every year, unfortunately had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But we won’t let that get us down: instead, let’s look back at previous WU Summer Celebrations!

2016: How it all started…

It all wouldn’t have been possible before the move to the new campus, which provided plenty of space. The idea was to combine two annual events: the WU Awards ceremony for faculty and researchers and the Alumni Club’s traditional summer get-together. At the same time, WU wanted to throw the first WU Summer Celebration for everyone: for students, teachers, alumni, and local residents. All this in a relaxed, casual atmosphere, and of course with free admission. No sooner said than done. Musical acts like Austria’s Song Contest entry the Makemakes, Nils, and the Owls rocked the first WU Summer Celebration, and nobody had to go home hungry or thirsty. To make sure the Summer Celebration offered something for sports fans as well, the European Championship game Germany vs. Poland was broadcast live on a big screen in the LC Forum, and the BMX riders of the Red Bull Team showed off their skills in front of the library.

The plan was a great success: The first WU Summer Celebration on June 16, 2016, was attended by around 3,000 guests, including many area residents, who had a great time on campus until late in the night.

The 2017 WU Summer Celebration

Word got around of what a good time people had, and the second WU Summer Celebration in 2017 attracted twice as many visitors as in the previous year. In 2017, about 6,000 people enjoyed a fun and diverse program for the whole family and celebrated together until the early hours of the morning. Once again, the Owls were on hand to play for the crowd, along with the musical acts The Oceans and the hit band Tagträumer. The Red Bull BMX athletes performed spectacular tricks to make sure sports fans got their money’s worth, there was a puppet show and balloon animals for families with children, and WU’s sponsors put up numerous stands with information and free goodies for everyone.

During the WU 2017 Summer Celebration, WU also introduced its Free Library, which has been available since then to WU students and visitors for exchanging and passing on books.

2018: What a party!

We didn’t get the weather we hoped for at the third WU Summer Celebration, but the low temperatures and iffy conditions didn’t stop the over 7,500 people who came to the Summer Celebration from setting yet another attendance record. This year, performances by talented street art acrobats and a whole range of culinary highlights were on offer. In addition to music by The Chaos Circle – the winners of the WU audience vote – and Simon Lewis, the well-known bands Folkshilfe and Möwe also made sure everyone had a good time.

2019 Summer Celebration breaks more records

The weather at the last (for now) WU Summer Celebration in 2019 was much better, and the bright sunshine on June 2019 brought another record number of visitors to Campus WU: Around 8,000 people came to WU to party. The ever-popular food market was expanded once again, providing many new culinary experiences for our guests. The musical highlight for many was certainly the performance by hit artist Josh (singer of the top hit “Cordula Grün”), as well as the acts Another Vision, Erwin and Edwin, and the up-and-coming talent KTEE.

What’s next?

The 2020 WU Summer Celebration unfortunately had to be canceled because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. But no worries: Behind the scenes, our team is working hard to plan next year’s party in June 2021!