After a two-year absence, Radboud Rocks was back with a packed programme. Outahead gave the first performance, Tim Hofman talked about social safety and student wellbeing, and the roof came off with The Dean and the Loco Loco Discoshow. The last performances of the evening are over too. Vox kept a live blog throughout the day. You can read it here.

In a hall at the Berchmanianum, at 7.00 PM, loud out-of-tune singing is encouraged at the silent disco which is organised by the International Student Organisations Nijmegen (ISON). Headphones on and you are ready to go – if you don’t like the music, you can switch channels. The event is popular: for almost the entire evening, there is a queue in front of the door with students who are waiting for headphones. By the way, not only the music is enjoyable. The ones who take their headphones off can hear a packed hall singing loudly and off-key. The small downside of the evening: the bar outside already closes at 9:40 PM because they are out of drinks. Visitors have to walk to the Pieter Bondam square for their snacks and refreshments.

9:05 PM: The party’s on, featuring Loco Loco Discoshow

Maracas, flags, crowd surfing, Santa hats and huge bubble blowers: nothing is too crazy for the Loco Loco Discoshow. The men of the party committee who have been a part of the Radboud Rocks programme for a long time, are creating one big party scene as usual. Sing-alongs, hardstyle, Christmas music, hip-hop, it does not matter: the present audience is completely thawed and both young and old is screaming along with the music. Hands are going up – an individual even holds up their crutches. The audience is playing student games involving Ping-Pong balls: when one is thrown into your glass of beer, you have to drink it entirely in one go.

9:05 PM: student Floris enjoyed performance with The Dean

The Dean and De Makelaar leave the stage while the audience applauds them loudly. The last song by the rapper seemed to be a big hit amongst them. Student Floris laughs when he is asked what he thought of his performance. ‘Yes, apparently it looked good,’ he says dazedly. What is he going to do with the toy dinosaur that he received from the duo? ‘I don’t know. I think I’ll throw it away.’ In the meantime, the Loco Loco Discoshow has begun at the mainstage.

7.35 pm: The Dean steps on the stage

The audience is yelling loudly as Daan Boom, better known as his stage name The Dean, steps onto the stage with DJ De Makelaar. The Dean is, together with Tim Hofman, this years headliner at Radboud Rocks. The volume goes up and an overfilled Pieter Bondam square is treated to some hit songs. The performance starts off with Krab krab no shame, a parody song about why you should not be ashamed about having eczema. After half an hour, student Floris is taken out of the audience and put on stage to join in with the rapping. A good decision as the theology student really knows every single line of the lyrics.

6.30 pm: dinner time!

Dinner time has arrived. Queues of hungry students and staff members have already formed for the various food trucks in front of the Berchmanianum. Fries, pasta, falafel: there’s something for everybody. For those who are not hungry (yet), you can keep dancing with DJ Puck at the mainstage where a few hundred people are swinging. In the meantine, The Dean and his dj De Makelaar have been spotted at the campus. They will go on stage in front of the Cultuurcafé at 19.30 pm.

4.45 pm: classics and sing-alongs

Who has the most knowledge on music? That is the leading question at the pub quiz with Wipneus & Pim. Groups are battling it out to win the coveted first prize: the George cup. From classic songs by ABBA and The Beatles to sing-alongs Er staat een paard in de gang en Brabant. Tunes of TV series such as Friends and Pokémon were not missing either. There is also carnival music – including a polonaise. Hands are in the air and people are dancing abundantly: the atmosphere is good. Participating being more important than winning is also apparent from the scores being distributed. How the score is calculated exactly is unclear, but the party duo is not being frugal. ‘A thousand points to whoever sings along the loudest,’ they say multiple times.

4.11 pm: you can watch Feyenoord tonight in café The Yard

Just five hours left until Feyenoord plays in the finals of the Europe Conference League against AS Roma. And no, the match is not broadcast on a big screen on the festival terrain on campus. But true fans do not have to miss out, they can watch the match in café The Yard in the Radboud Sports Centre. There the match will be broadcast, says Dionne Aldus on behalf of the organisation.

3.10 pm: students enthusiastic about Q&A

Students on the square are enthusiastic about the Q&A and interview with Tim Hofman. Lize van Dongen, Inge Tielrooy en Judith Paus were first in line afterwards to take a selfie with the presenter. ‘He was really nice,’ says Van Dongen. ‘And the conversation was nice and open. A bit negative, but that happens with these themes.’ Paus agrees, but: ‘He managed to talk about loaded subjects in a nice and gentle way.’ Hofman talked about mental wellbeing and diversity, among other things.

14.55 pm: ‘Everyone: send an email to the rector telling him to get the code of conduct in order’

In response to a question about the lack of a code of conduct at Radboud University, Tim Hofman said that he urges all students present to send an email to the rector on Friday and ask him to get the code of conduct in order. This code of conduct has been discussed for months in the joint council. There is a lot of criticism on the concept version, the Executive Board hopes that the University Joint Assembly will approve the code of conduct in July.

2.15 pm: the Q&A with Tim Hofman has started

Tim Hofman, today’s main act, started his Q&A on student wellbeing a little over 15 minutes ago. The Pieter Bondam square is filled with people wanting to see the presenter, who recently exposed the sexual abuses and allegations at television programme The Voice with his YouTube series Boos. The conversation is led by diversity and inclusivity expert Lema Selah of Radboud University. The themes of the questions vary from the use of social media and mental wellbeing to diversity and intersectionality.

1.30 pm: tokens for drinks are going fast

“I bet you look good on the dancefloor”, the Arctic Monkey’s song, covered by Outahead, blasts out of the speakers on the Pieter Bondam Square, where there is absolutely no dance floor. There are however some people hanging near some standing tables. Also around the Berchmanianum, Radboud Rocks is slowly coming to life. Student associations are setting up activities. An obstacle course at Lacrosse association Keizerstad, korfball pong at student korfball association Skunk or games at AKKU. The biggest attraction here is the booth where the first 500 students receive two free tokens. While stocks last – they’re going fast. Mathematics students Koen en Floris already got their coins. ‘First we’re going to watch Tim Hofman, then home to finish a deadline and then back to go to the Loco Loco Discoshow, among other things,’ says Koen. No alcohol for the two during this first visit. ‘No, otherwise that deadline is going nowhere and we won’t understand Tim Hofman.’

12.35 pm: 10 cents per drink go to Ukraine

Anyone who orders a beer or coke at the bar of Radboud Rocks today, automatically donates to Ukraine. Of every ordered drink, 10 cents go to the victims of the war. ‘We do that via Giro555,’ says Dionne Aldus on behalf of the organisation. Students from the afflicted country came up with the idea themselves. They said they fully supported Radboud University’s party, but wanted to also keep calling attention to the war.

11.24 am: room for 3000 guests

How many visitors will attend Radboud University’s birthday party? ‘Well,’ says Dionna Aldus on behalf of the organisation, ‘you never know.’ During the preparations, a total of 3000 was kept in mind, because that was the case in other years. But the last Radboud Rocks stems from 2019, the following two editions were cancelled due to covid. The organisation will just have to wait and see how many students and employees will attend the festival in a new style. For the first time ever, the grass pitch and square in front of the Berchmanianum are being used during Radboud Rocks. There are chairs and tables, food trucks and student associations will organise activities.

10.30 am: student band Outahead is getting ready

The indierockers of Outahead have the honour to kick-off Radboud Rocks on the Pieter Bondam square this afternoon. That is why singer Pim Daniëls, bass guitarist Daan van Boxtel, guitarist Marcel van Gemert and drummer Thijs Scholten are already busy with moving the drum set, guitars, and other musical attributes. At 1 pm, their opening act will burst into life.

‘Exciting,’ is what Daan van Boxtel, who studies law at Radboud University, calls it. ‘As a band, we only started performing live after covid. This is our first festival.’ Furthermore, it’s a good warm-up for tomorrow, when Outahead will play in the finals of the Roos of Nijmegen, the competition for musical talent from Nijmegen in Doornroosje (concert hall in Nijmegen, ed.). Pim, Daan and Marcel know each other from their high school in Wijchen.

Whether it’ll be busy? ‘Tim Hofman will go on stage right after us,’ says Pim. ‘Who knows, the square might be packed by the end.’