The university has to cancel the traditional annual celebration and Denmark's biggest Friday bar and sports day. An unfortunate but necessary consequence of the situation, says Rector Brian Bech Nielsen.

2020.08.17 | Ida Hammerich Nielson

As a result of the recent increases in the rate of COVID-19 infection in Aarhus and Denmark, the authorities have introduced more restrictive guidelines for holding events – especially in Aarhus. This means that the university is forced to cancel the annual celebration and Denmark's biggest Friday bar and sports day. Photo from the 2019 annual celebration: Ida Jensen On Friday

As a result of the recent increases in the rate of COVID-19 infection in Aarhus and Denmark, the authorities have introduced more restrictive guidelines for holding events – especially in Aarhus. This means that the university is forced to cancel the annual celebration and Denmark's biggest Friday bar and sports day.

11 September, Aarhus University was scheduled to celebrate its anniversary in the Main hall, the University Park and at Concert Hall Aarhus. None of these events will take place in 2020.

As a result of the recent increases in the rate of COVID-19 infection in Aarhus and Denmark, the authorities have introduced more restrictive guidelines for holding events – especially in Aarhus. This means that the university is forced to cancel the annual celebration and Denmark's biggest Friday bar and sports day.

“It’s a really unfortunate consequence of the current situation. It's always an incredibly fun and festive day for the students in University Park, just as it is a special day for us as a university. A lot of students and employees had already put blood, sweat and tears into organising the day, but cancellation was our only option. We can’t permit such a large gathering in light of the current ban on large groups and the authorities’ guidelines, neither for the annual celebration or for the party in the University Park,” explains the rector.

He emphasises that the university is taking the situation seriously: “Naturally, we have to do everything we can to curb the spread of the infection. That’s our responsibility to society.”

Awards and honours will be postponed to 2020 – with one exception

This year’s prizes and honours will instead be presented at the annual celebration in 2021. This includes the distinguished alumni, the Anniversary Foundation prizes of honour and awards of honorary doctorates. It also includes this year's Holst-Knudsen award, which was postponed to the annual celebration because of the lockdown in the spring.

The only exception is HRM Queen Margrethe II’s travel grants to students, which will be presented to students without a ceremony. These travel grants are for exchanges abroad which must take place before the students graduate. Pro-rector Berit Eika is pleased that this year's four travel grant recipients can get funding to study abroad, despite the cancellation of the the annual celebration.

"In addition to being extremely talented, the students who are receiving the travel grant are also hard-working, committed and have all done something extra, for example volunteer work. They are role models for all students, and the travel grant gives them the opportunity to develop an international network and get new perspectives on their subjects by studying abroad,"says Eika.

Read more about the annual celebration (in Danish)