Tufts Blogs

If you’ve ever been on a Tufts tour, or if you’ve dug deep on Jumbo Talk, you’ve heard about our traditions–the cannon painting, the candle illumination ceremony, Spring Fling, etc–but have you ever heard of Tuftonia’s Day? 

No? Well, that’s because your tour guide probably didn’t know what it was either, since the last Tuftonia's Day we were able to hold was in the Spring of 2019. Tuftonia’s Day is a celebration of the anniversary of when Tufts got its charter. The Tufts University Social Collective (TUSC) throws a giant carnival that includes food trucks, rides, games, and more. My brother (Tufts ‘20) often walks around wearing his Tuftonia’s Day 2019, and finally, I got to experience the event as well.

On Friday at 5 pm, the entire student population descended upon Fletcher field, where we combined into one long line, waiting to get into a fenced-off area. We quickly entered, and were given a free t-shirt and a wristband with three meal tickets. Always ready for my next meal, I pulled my friends over to the grilled cheese line as soon as we got our vouchers. After that, we went to the whoopie pie line (see picture of whoopie pies above), and then got some buttery popcorn.

TUSC did a really great job of getting a variety of food that accommodated students with all different kinds of eating restrictions. My friend, Naomi, is vegan, and she assumed she wouldn’t be able to eat there, but she found that the whoopie pie truck had a vegan whoopie pie. In addition, there were many food trucks to choose from, including Birds Nest Italian Street Food (mozzarella sticks and fried ravioli), Bon Me (bahn me sandwiches), Cookie Monstah (ice cream sandwiches), Dylan and Pete’s Ice Cream (cotton candy, popcorn, etc.), Moyzilla (dumplings, spring rolls, garlic noodles, sesame salad), Roxy’s Grilled Cheese (grilled cheese with gluten-free and vegan options), The Bacon Truck (sliders, mac n’ cheese bites, etc.), Whoo(pie) Wagon (whoopie pies), and Zinneken’s Waffles (mini waffles with toppings). I’m just sad I didn’t get to wait in line for MORE food!

In addition to the food, there were many exciting rides, including the huge ferris wheel, super slide, scrambler, round up, etc. There were other unique activities like a rock climbing wall, human whack-a-mole, face painting, balloon artists, and carnival games. And for our most daring students, there was even a mechanical bull! 

One of the things that was really awesome about this event (besides the free stuff, of course), was its timing in the year. Tuftonia’s Day falls the day before Spring Fling, a huge concert we have on the academic quad each year, and the last week of classes/reading period. It was awesome to see the whole school show up in full force to attend the carnival, and it was a nice way to kick back before really gearing up for finals in the coming weeks. 

This week, my Emma’s Advice is maybe redundant, but take advantage of all that college has to offer. Traditions are traditions for a reason, because they are fun! No matter how busy you are, make sure you set aside time to catch the big events that mark a college experience (and don’t forget to take a free t-shirt along the way). I am so glad that we got to bring Tuftonia’s Day back, and I’m already looking forward to next year, when I will get to experience it again (although next time, I’ll come earlier to get a good spot in line!).