The third Harvest Feastival (formerly Harvest Feast) welcomed 800 guests on September 22 for a celebration of food, culture, and community.
A Feastival Full of Community
Under sunny skies in the early evening of September 22, a sold-out crowd of over 800 UBC students, faculty, staff, residents, alumni, and friends of UBC gathered at University Commons Plaza for a celebration of food, community, and culture.
This was the third year of Harvest Feastival (formerly known as Harvest Feast), an informal dinner for 800+ guests followed by an array of art shows and exhibits. The event aims to foster connections between various UBC communities and share in a sense of UBC pride and place.
We caught up with Mustafa Akhtar, Coordinator, Community Programs and Outreach with UBC Community Development, on his thoughts about Harvest Feastival.
What was the goal of Harvest Feastival?
The primary goal of the event is to bring our different communities such as students, staff, faculty, residents and alumni together as one. At the Feastival, guests rub shoulders with friends, old and new. We work hard to create a fun and enjoyable experience, where people feel welcome, relaxed and excited to make connections across departments, faculties, age-groups, neighborhoods and interests.
What’s your favourite memory from the 2016 Harvest Feastival?
If I had to pick a favourite memory, it was welcoming our new President to his first ever Harvest Feastival. Professor Ono made a great toast about the importance of our community and gave a wonderful thanks to Chef David Speight for preparing such a delicious meal. Second favourite memory was the S’mores. Chef David is a master of desserts!
Planning an event like Feastival takes a lot of collaboration with groups on campus. What advice would you have for a group who is planning a large-scale event like this?
Planning a large-scale event involves lots of coordination, and commitment through strong partnerships. I would recommend regular coffee-dates to hammer out all the details and stay on the same page. It’s important to ensure that everyone is aware of the ultimate goal, so you need to start with a solid plan and maintain great communication throughout the process. Finally a little bit of flexibility and good problem-solving skills go a long way because surprises and changes always happen when you are planning an event of such a scale.
Many people who think of a university campus probably don’t think about campus spaces being used for non-teaching and learning purposes and. How do you think Feastival might help change that perception?
One of the goals of Feastival is to transform perceptions of our campus spaces through animation. The intention is to create an extraordinary experience that inspires the community to creatively see the full potential of a space, not only for teaching and learning, but in a multitude of ways that can nourish our community’s wellbeing and create opportunities for meaningful social interactions.
What is a fun fact about the Feastival that people may not know?
Here’s a few fun facts:
Feastival guests who attended the UBC Symphony Orchestra’s open rehearsal were invited on stage while the orchestra played as a special treat.
Harvest Feastival was a zero waste event. Everything was either composted or recycled.
Over 800 people shared 103 stacks of sticky date cakes.
To see more of the Harvest Feastival, visit this photo gallery.