While it is only the first week of the new semester, Winter Carnival is just around the corner.
The Winter Carnival is a Michigan Tech tradition that began more than a century ago, and has been run by the Blue Key fraternity since 1934. This tradition will be continued for the 2023 school year.
The event is several days long, lasting from February 8th to the 13th, and includes various activities for the entire student body to participate in. Some of these activities include Broomball, Curling, Ice Bowling, and more. These activities are open to everyone, including students experiencing their first Winter Carnival this year.
“New students, whether they are first-years or graduate students, should attempt a little bit of everything during Carnival.” Says Joe Dlugos, Blue Key Honor Society president, “If they have the opportunity and time they should take a shot at building a snow statue, going to the stage revue and royalty competitions, and participate in the special events”
The snow statues are some of the most popular parts of Winter Carnival. There are two different categories for the sculptures, which are month-long statues and all-nighter statues. The month-long sculptures are most frequently made by the Greek life on campus, while student clubs, organizations, and residence halls build their sculptures in a span of 12 hours during the All-Nighter. Month-long statues are already underway on campus, so keep a lookout!
Dlugos commented about what he recommends that new students do during Winter Carnival, saying “If they are just getting acclimated to Tech and they are still figuring out the ropes, it is always a great idea to check out the all-nighter event. That is where a lot of people are out and everyone is just taking in the festivities.”
Another popular Carnival tradition is the sport of broomball. In broomball, each player creates their own playing stick using a straw broom and tape, which they use to play on an outdoor ice rink much like hockey. However, unlike hockey, the core game piece is a ball rather than a puck. The broomball rinks can be found on Walker Lawn and broomball supplies can be found in the Memorial Union Building Bookstore and hardware stores around town.
Blue Key invites all students to participate in the festivities. “We try to make Winter Carnival as inclusive as possible so almost everything can be participated in.” Dlugos states “A great way is if you are involved with a certain organization or your dorm hall because those groups always are open to the idea of participation.”
For more information on Winter Carnival and events, students can go to mtu.edu/carnival.
