A picnic, regatta, concerts, parades, rugby match, dinner and ball will all be part of next year's University of Otago 150th anniversary celebrations.
Preparations are ramping up, with key dates being finalised and registrations opening in early December for the main anniversary celebrations at Queen's Birthday weekend.
Launching with the traditional Burns Night supper in January, followed by a "town and gown'', family-friendly picnic on the clocktower lawn on February 15, the anniversary events are designed to bring together staff, students, alumni and the wider Otago community to celebrate New Zealand's first university.
"Next year will be a special time for the university and the wider Dunedin community, as we celebrate the university's achievements and look to the future,'' deputy vice-chancellor (external engagement) Prof Helen Nicholson said.
Town and gown will meet up again in March, with a lively street parade for all staff and students, with a theme of "colours''.
Marchers will be encouraged to wear their academic colours and outfits of their clubs and colleges and other regalia.
April will feature The Science Teller Festival, where bestselling author Mary Roach and science writer Michael Shermer discuss the festival's theme, "Science and the Afterlife''.
Also in April, the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra with musical director Dr Graeme Downes will present Tally Ho! 3 - continuing the celebration of Dunedin bands and music.
Queen's Birthday weekend, June 1-3, will be the focus of the official celebrations, which will start with an exhibition at Otago Museum showcasing the university's people, research, creative works and their benefits and influence on the global stage.
Further events will include the Academic Procession, the official Convocation Ceremony, fireworks in the Octagon, the anniversary dinner, a service at Knox Church, residential college lunches and a Dunedin Town Hall gala concert "A Celebration of Otago in Music''.
The weekend will wrap up with a rugby match at the University Oval and a Student Koneseti at the Dunedin Town Hall, organised by the Pacific Islands Centre.
Many of next year's celebrations are free of charge, and people are able to register for the individual events which appeal to them in the Queen's Birthday weekend programme.
Later in the year, events include a nationwide Winter Symposium series from June to August, the Anniversary Gold Ball in August, the Unesco Play Festival and an international rowing regatta at the end of September.
The theme of the Dunedin Heritage Festival in September will be "1869'' and a play written for the anniversary will be performed at Allen Hall Theatre.
- Staff reporter