The ultimate back-to-school bash for 20 years running, Campus Kickoff (CKO) will welcome the UAA community to a new academic year Saturday, Aug. 26, with a festival from 1-4 p.m. and afterparty from 4-10 p.m. The free event is open to all Seawolves as well as their friends and families.

"It's about welcoming new students to campus," said Kim Morton, executive director of Student Engagement and Inclusion. "It's welcoming back current students, our faculty, staff, alumni and Anchorage community members, and showing off all that UAA has to offer."

Here's a look at highlights from the past 20 years and a preview of what to expect this year.

'Let's go outside'

Twenty years ago, Campus Kickoff started as a small indoor event in the Student Union. At the suggestion of Mike McCormick, assistant director of Student Activities, the event first pivoted to an outside location in 2006. However, organizers were so nervous about Anchorage's weather in August (typically one of the city's rainiest months) that they planned and fully set up for two different scenarios on the day of the event just to be safe: one inside at the Student Union and another outside on the Cuddy Quad lawn. They planned to decide in the morning based on the conditions.

"I'll never forget: Mike and I came out to the Cuddy Quad lawn, and it wasn't the brightest, sunniest of days. We had these big raincoats on — but it wasn't raining," said retired staff member Annie Route, who headed the CKO Committee for much of its 20-year history in her role as director of Student Life and Leadership. "We stood out there and we looked, and I said, 'Let's do it. Let's go outside.' And then after that day, I looked at Mike, and I said, 'We're never going back inside again. This is an outdoor event.'"

The event, always on the Saturday before fall classes start, has yet to be rained out. This year, UAA's most beloved campus tradition will bring it home as the festival takes place in the parking lot outside the Student Union (rain or shine), with additional afterparty activities inside the building and across campus.

"I know when you hear parking lot, it doesn't sound very exciting. But once you get the tables in there, you get the food, you get the activities, it can really be a transformed space," said Zac Clark, associate director of Student Life and Leadership. "We're looking to bring all of that energy — but also create more, larger pathways for people to move around."

Creating a welcoming and vibrant community

The centerpiece of Campus Kickoff is the festival, running from 1-4 p.m. in the Student Union parking lot. Expect over 100 booths representing UAA colleges, departments, student clubs and organizations, plus community partners. With so many options in one spot, the event is an ideal way to get to know UAA and explore opportunities to get involved.

"What we're hoping is that you find another student to connect with or a student organization that you can join or volunteer with," said Clark. "Maybe you'll meet a professor, or maybe you're looking for a job. All of these are possibilities that you can do in one place, at one time."

Not only are booths a great resource for information and making connections, but they also usually feature some type of swag, whether it's pens, candy, backpacks, sunglasses, a raffle to enter or another freebie.

At every festival, one of the most popular giveaway items is always the specialty Campus Kickoff shirt printed with the current year and student-designed logo. The shirts tend to be green instead of gold after the organizers discovered an issue with bright yellow shirts one year: "The bees loved it," laughed Route. "All of the committee people were wearing their shirts [at the check-in area] and some of them worked in booths and then all of a sudden, they're like, 'Oh my gosh, these bees kept coming back to us.' We didn't go yellow again." If you want to see (and snag a copy of) this year's design, make sure to stop by the festival's welcome table on Saturday, Aug. 26.

Another item to watch for: the special CKO edition of The Northern Light, UAA's student-run newspaper. Although the content changes yearly, the edition is always packed with news, tips and more for Seawolves to make the most of their journey.

When not touring the booths and collecting swag, past CKO attendees have had their pick of festival entertainment, from live music and dance performances to inflatable challenges and a rock wall.

Many entertainers returned to the CKO festival over the years after falling in love with the energy and community of the event. The Butt Sketcher, for example, was a fixture at CKO for over 10 years. Groups of friends and colleagues lined up to have artist Pjae Naiima sketch their fully clothed backsides for a unique portrait. "Toward the end, she was bringing her daughter with her because she'd had such a good time," said Route.

Another fixture was a group from TBA Theatre (including several UAA students) who brought a circus to campus, demonstrating flamethrowing and hula hooping on the Cuddy Quad. Route said many of the performers are now married with kids and laugh when looking back at their time playing with fire during Kickoff.

Although there won't be any circus acts, this year's festival will feature food trucks, inflatables, live music and more. True to tradition, students can receive a free meal from one of the trucks with their WolfCard. New this year, the Enrollment Services Building will be open as a low-sensory space for anyone who wants a break from the excitement and sound of the outdoor festival.

Beyond the festival

The CKO festival is one piece of a larger celebration. For previous iterations of Campus Kickoff, the festival was often followed by a comedy show, walk-in movie, volleyball scrimmage and Fred Meyer College Night shopping.

The comedy show in particular, organized by the UAA Concert Board, was known for drawing some of the biggest names to play Anchorage: B.J. Novak in 2007 (known for his role as Ryan on The Office, performing at the show's height); Judah Friedlander in 2009 (performing at the height of 30 Rock, where he played Frank Rossitano); Donald Glover in 2010 (performing a few weeks before the second season of Community aired and over a year before his major label-debut as Childish Gambino dropped); Nick Offerman in 2013 (aka Ron Swanson on Parks & Recreation, performing a few weeks before the show's sixth and penultimate season premiered).

The lines for the shows, which were only open to UAA community members and their guests, often snaked around the Wendy Williamson Center. "I always was fascinated by people waiting to get in," noted Route. "It’s the energy of, 'I can't wait to get in there and see that.'"

As coordinator for Concert Board at the time, Clark was responsible for logistics and getting the comedians where they needed to be — and showing them around during their free time. "There are some comedians that I had the privilege of being able to work with. When we brought up B.J. Novak for the comedy show, it was really cool because not only did we get to bring him to campus to perform, but also he had extra time, so I got to take him to the State Fair."

The walk-in movie was another popular activity. People would gather on the hill outside Rasmuson Hall to watch new blockbuster releases like The Avengers (2012), Now You See Me (2013) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2016). The tradition returns this year in a reworked format with a screening of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 at 4:30 p.m. in the Student Union cafeteria as part of the afterparty.

Other afterparty activities include Canoe Battleship, trivia, board games and video games, artificial intelligence lab tour, skating with the hockey team, open gym with with the gymnastics team, rock painting, Pride Center open house, a concert featuring Wasabi Black and H3, plus much more. View the schedule for details.

Campus Kickoff is part of the university's Welcome Weekend. Traditions continuing this year include Faculty and Staff Convocation on Friday, Aug. 25; UAA Kids Day at the Alaska State Fair on Friday, Aug. 25; and UAA vs. UAF cross country running throwdown on Saturday, Aug. 26.

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Be a part of the tradition: Campus Kickoff returns Saturday, Aug. 26, with the festival from 1-4 p.m. in the Student Union parking lot and afterparty from 4-10 p.m. inside the Student Union, Rasmuson Hall, AVIS Alaska Sports Complex and Alaska Airlines Center. View the schedule and follow the Facebook event for more information.