Campus & community, Campus news, Events at Berkeley

Cal Day 2016: Campus flings open its doors this Saturday

UC Berkeley will open its doors wide from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, April 16, for Cal Day, the annual campus open house. Visitors may choose from among more than 400 free events and activities for all ages.

T. rex skeleton
T. rex skeleton at the Valley Life Sciences Building (UC Berkeley photo by Kevin Ho Nguyen)

(UC Berkeley video by Roxanne Makasdjian, Phil Ebiner and Stephen McNally)

Experience the dynamic, energetic essence of UC Berkeley from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, April 16, when the campus throws its annual Cal Day open house.

Prospective students — along with their families, current students, the rest of the campus community and the public — can choose from among more than 400 events and activities: faculty talks, campus tours, music and dance performances, free admission to campus museums (some open to the public just this one day a year), science and art activities for kids and much more.

Cal Day swag

On Cal Day, share your photos via email ([email protected]) or post to Twitter/Instagram (#sharecalday) and see them appear on the “live” Cal Day site, calday.berkeley.edu.

Hear Chancellor Nicholas Dirks in conversation with Jaron Lanier — composer, philosopher, computer scientist and virtual-reality pioneer. Learn how scientists from Berkeley and Stanford figured out how to get the largest bell ever cast, the Russian “Tsar Bell,” to ring (and then hear the 200-ton Goliath in a noon-hour duet with the Campanile carillon).

Attend a reading by renowned writer (and current visiting professor) Joyce Carol Oates. Watch fascinating, short videos on miniature natural-science subjects — from butterfly wings to hummingbird flight.

Tour campus spaces that nurture creativity with Berkeley’s new faculty head of arts and design. Hear faculty experts on American politics discuss the presidential nomination races and the November election.

Admission to Cal Day is free. Public transportation is advised; motorized cable cars will make a 30-minute loop around campus throughout the day.

Visitors are invited to browse the full list of events, and plan their Cal Day, at calday.berkeley.edu/. The schedule includes recommendations for specific groups, such as prospective students and families with kids. The Cal Day website works on mobile phones, and can be used during the day to find upcoming events located nearby.

(UC Berkeley video by Roxanne Makasdjian and Phil Ebiner)