Come rain or shine: Radboud University's Intro festival is in full swing. In the afternoon, the sun makes an appearance, but even when it gives way to heavy rain showers, the enthusiastic freshmen continue dancing tirelessly.

‘The festival is a lot of fun,’ 25-year-old Sonia Mehra says enthusiastically. The exchange student from the United States is here for six months, studying law. ‘The food is of high quality. I just had a pizza and it was top-notch.’ Moreover, the food at the festival is entirely vegetarian.

The park begins to fill up nicely around 3.30 pm. Various groups sit in the grass. People are drinking beers and playing card games. The main stage attracts more and more dancing students.

Mehra immediately notices it is not a traditional festival. Although there are artists like Fokke Simons, The Partysquad, and Smèrrig Diskjochies on the schedule, there are plenty of other activities too. For those who don’t want to stand in front of the big stage, for instance, there are several craft workshops, which include painting wooden clogs.

I am pleasantly surprised,’ the American continues. In her left hand, she holds a clog, which she has coloured herself. ‘It’s incredibly nice that you can also do different activities besides partying.’

Huge queues

In addition to the workshops, activities include a pub quiz, a silent disco, a mega edition of Twister, and a ‘monastery on wheels’ on the premises. ‘It’s great fun to talk to different students,’ says one of the monastic workers. ‘We are there for a bit of quiet in the hustle and bustle.’ There is also a run to the photo booth, with a hefty queue early on.

There is little sign of the expected storm at the time. The temperature is just under 30 degrees and the wind – blowing hard – makes it pleasant in the sun. But there is no need to get sunburned, as free sunscreen is handed out next to the entrance. Free menstrual products and – for a fee – hearing protection are also available.

Incidentally, not all students are aware of the expected weather change. ‘Storm? Oh… I haven’t heard anything about that at all,’ says intro mentor Marcel Lemay (18). More important than the weather for him is the atmosphere on the grounds. ‘It’s still a bit quiet now, but I hope it will get busier soon, like last year.’

It certainly gets busier towards the evening hour. The crowd in front of the main stage is growing and there is also plenty of dancing at the smaller stage and the silent disco. The queue in front of the photo booth does not seem to get shorter. The fact that dark clouds are gathering in the distance – KNMI has now issued code orange for the whole of Gelderland – does not bother the students.

Downpours

Around seven o’clock in the evening, the storm breaks: heavy downpours swept across the grounds in gusts. Students clump together under the large tents on the site. A few do not back down and continue dancing outside the canopies.

When it stops raining, medical student Floor (19) climbs onto the bouncy castle with some friends, which by now has a considerable layer of water on it. After a few jumps, her shoes are completely soaked. ‘A lot of people complain about the rain,’ she says. ‘But this is just fun, isn’t it? It’s really a vibe.’

Translated by Stella Kuipers