Campus & community, Events at Berkeley

As fall semester begins, thousands of new UC Berkeley students gather for a warm campus welcome

A flurry of events helped new students get settled as they officially join the Golden Bear family.

By Strategic Communications

Two individuals wearing yellow
Golden Bear Orientation leaders smile for the camera.

Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley
A person walks away from a building entrance, pulling a black suitcase and pushing a blue cart loaded with items.
Loading belongings and dorm room essentials into Towle Hall.

Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley
A tall clock tower stands prominently over a lively campus scene with people walking, sitting on grass, and food trucks lined up under a bright blue sky.
New students gather for food trucks at the foot of the Campanile.

Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley
A banner reading
A banner welcomes members of the Golden Bear community back to campus.

Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley
Two performers in blue and white traditional attire energetically play taiko drums on a blue mat during a UC Berkeley event.
Cal Taiko, the university's traditional Japanese drumming team, performs at Fall Convocation.

Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley
A person with gray hair and a mustache speaks at a podium adorned with a Berkeley banner, in front of an audience with a
Chancellor Rich Lyons speaks to new students.

Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley
A vibrant blue and gold lion dance performer stands on a basketball court in front of a large, cheering crowd at a university arena.
Members of the Cal Vietnamese Student Association's Lion Dance Team perform for the audience.

Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley
A group of musicians playing saxophones performs on a basketball court beneath a large “Cal” banner, with a crowd seated in the arena.
Members of the California Straw Hat Band play for the crowd.

Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley
A suited individual and a mascot in a yellow jersey energetically dance on a basketball court surrounded by a marching band and a packed audience.
Chancellor Lyons gets down with Oski the Bear as the California Straw Hat Band plays on.

Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley
A person waves a large blue and gold flag featuring a bear silhouette in a crowded indoor arena during a Cal Berkeley event.
Proudly waving the Cal Bears flag as the California Straw Hat Band plays.

Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley

August 26, 2026

Each August marks an exciting time at UC Berkeley: the arrival of thousands of new students, who gather the week before classes begin to move in, attend convocation, meet their classmates and make new friends.

It’s all part of Golden Bear Orientation, the annual week-long slate of programming designed to help the newest members of the Cal family make a successful transition to campus life. Throughout, students participate in activities designed to welcome them to Berkeley and the greater Bay Area, get their bearings on campus and learn about the resources and opportunities that will help them get the most out of their time at Berkeley.

At Fall Convocation, over 9,000 of them gathered at Haas Pavilion for an official welcome to campus from Chancellor Rich Lyons, who encouraged students to engage deeply, take intellectual risks, support each other and take advantage of all their education has to offer.

“Not too long ago, a student shared with me what stood out most to her about her Berkeley experience,” Lyons told the crowd at the conclusion of his remarks. “She said, ‘It’s the way we illuminate each other.’ That beautiful observation captures so much of what our culture here is all about.”

Click through the slideshow above to see photos from the rest of the Fall Convocation ceremony, Golden Bear Orientation and student move-in.