UC Davis Picnic Day goes virtual again next year to prevent further coronavirus spread
Picnic Day, the 107th annual open house for the University of California, Davis, will go virtual in April with video content from previous years to prevent further spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
This is the second time UC Davis’ Picnic Day has gone virtual. Organizers canceled the in-person celebration last April as the first coronavirus wave hit California and the rest of the country.
Earlier this week, the Picnic Day Board announced in a news release that conditions had not improved enough to hold the 2021 student-run campus celebration as an in-person event.
“Picnic Day takes almost a whole year to plan, and we want to make the safest decision for all participants and guests,” Caitlyn Liu, chair of the Picnic Day board, said in the news release. “I think having more time to plan a virtual event allows the Picnic Day Board to innovate and think creatively when it comes to reimagining how people experience Picnic Day.”
The event has attracted up to 80,000 people in recent years, according to previous reporting from The Sacramento Bee. Picnic Day puts the university on display for prospective and current students as well as the surrounding regional community, and it featured over 200 events in 2019.
Picnic Day is largely a wholesome and family-friendly gathering, but some college students and revelers in the past have turned the event into an all-day, alcohol-infused party.
Picnic Day’s popular traditional events include the battle of the marching bands, the Doxie Derby Race, cockroach races, the student organization fair and the parade. With Picnic Day going virtual again next year, there will be no parade.
It was a difficult decision to turn the 2021 Picnic Day into a virtual event, said Liu, a UC Davis senior who has been on the Picnic Day board since her freshman year and was parade director in 2019.
“The parade is a large gathering, and there is no way to ensure that it would be safe for both the spectators and participants,” Liu said in the news release. “We hope everyone will enjoy this virtual experience from the comfort of their home and urge everyone to follow public health precautions.”
Picnic Day remains scheduled April 17, and organizers say the virtual experience will feature video content from many of the popular events from previous years, along with other online activities throughout the day. Organizers in December will release a video that announces the 2021 Picnic Day theme, logo and marshals.
