A lively fall in Uppsala
The male choir from VG entertains during the HT21 International Gasque
As the days become shorter, the darkness more prevalent and the temperature lower, it is easy to believe that the Uppsala student life would gradually cool down with it, but this fall that is definitely not the case.
It has been about three weeks since the 29th of september, when the corona restrictions were finally lifted. Although nations have much more to offer than being places to party, it is no exaggeration that nation clubs and their celebrations with varying traditional and non-traditional themes are some of the most popular and well-known features of the Uppsala student life. If you are new to Uppsala or if you perhaps started studying here during the pandemic, here are some useful tips for making the most out of going out in Uppsala.
Queues. If you were in Uppsala the day the restrictions were lifted, you probably did not miss the massive crowds of people who queued around city blocks to get into the first nation clubs in 1 ½ years from 6AM in the morning. The streets were filled with a sensation of freedom and happiness, and although many of the people queuing see it as a fun activity in itself, you might not always be in the mood to queue for hours to get into that nation event you had originally planned to attend. Here are some ways of getting around queues:
1. Being active at your nation often comes with benefits, including “brytleg” which allows you to skip the queue at your own nation. If you decide to become really active and take on some of the more work-intensive tasks, you might be rewarded a KK-card which grants you the same access to all of Uppsalas nations.
2. Be the early bird when it comes to tickets for events. For those events requiring tickets, many are sold through the nation's facebook pages on specific dates and release times. Depending on the popularity of the event, they frequently sell out quickly. Often the so called “släpp” (clubs after events) are open to everyone, but those attending the original event requiring tickets avoid the queue and maybe more importantly get to attend the more unique and traditional events prior to the club opening.
3. Do not be too picky. When you might really want to get into that event you planned for, remember that there are 13 different student nations and that on most days, there are several fun things to choose from. Oftentimes, the most memorable moments occur when you stumble into an unknown nation happening you did not know existed until a long queue forced you to think differently.
Last but not least, the pandemic is unfortunately not over yet. Nations are by students for students, so please respect the nation rules, stay home if you feel sick and be responsible when going out. That way we will hopefully be able to keep our newly regained freedoms to meet without restrictions, which includes queuing and spam clicking online ticket reservations.
Arvid Elmberg