Organiser Tonnie Buitink has been working on it for weeks, reeling in the big fish called Sting. 'I could shout it from the rooftops. Is it not wonderful that Sting is coming!', he says. The world-famous artist will perform on the first Sunday in July for two hours and will be supported by a number of special guests.
The other performers will be Venice, Ilse Delange, Ellen ten Damme and Nitin Sawhney. The winner of the bands-festival of the Batavierenrace will open the concert. Tickets will cost 75 guilder and are on sale now (also from Vrijhof reception). The festival will last from two in the afternoon until eleven at night. Sting will appear on stage at eight o'clock. Like last year's Benefit concert a large podium will be erected in front of the Vrijhof.
Throwing-in for the lustrum dart competition has already started. A week ago dart boards were hung in all canteens for three competitions. Two for students, one for staff. Dart society D'Artagnan is the organiser.
'All students from all universities in the Netherlands can compete', says darter Joost Gooskens. Every institute can send a team of four people to the university competition. We therefore hope that on 1 December fourteen teams will participate.'
The darts-final will take place in the festival tent, which will be on campus from 26 November until 1 December. 'We want to have Raymond van Barneveld or Co StompÚ there during the final', Gooskens reveals. 'And we will try to get a real English caller to come over to get the authentic Embassy atmosphere.'
The darts-final will conclude the lustrum week, the symphony orchestra Orkest van het Oosten will set the ball rolling on Monday 26 November. Before that there is a parade of all UT-committees and societies.
The Tuesday starts with a breakfast with rector Frans van Vught and will end with a dinner for professors. Other high points: Wednesday an, according to Tonnie Buitink, 'big-league English comedian' in Broodje Lustrum (Lustrum Sandwich), in the afternoon an old-fashioned Sinterklaas celebration. The evening programme is for the cultural societies.
Thursday offers a large student party. Fridays the Dies Natalis (birthday) is celebrated in the Jacobuskerk, Professor Hans Achterhuis (Philosophy of Science) will speak. Those people who like film more can go to the festival tent for the film-marathon. 'We will be showing films for 24 years from the forty years of the UT's existence', Buitink says.
The last day of the party week is for former students: the big Alumni-day. And last but not least: a big gala-ball in the Vrijhof. Buitink: 'This is, of course, a preliminary programme. More will still be added. A scientific conference for example. For that we will hitch a ride with the plans of the study societies. That will keep us busy for a while.'
