By Tiaan Booyens
Stellenbosch becomes an extra bit lively with the return of its younger demographic. The start of the academic year for this university town means crowds of newcomers across campus, a near stampede of shoppers in town, and little to no parking whenever there’s a big event. One such event is Vensters 2023.
Vensters is an annual Matie tradition where first-year students collaborate in big groups with other student communities to put on a performance of dancing and acting. Groups of different student communities (SU residences and Private Student Organisations for those who don’t stay on campus) pair up and pick a name representing each community that it’s made up of. Throughout Welcoming these groups get together to practise elaborate sets of dances that usually tend to be inspired by hit songs or trending dance moves.
The purpose behind Vensters, other than delivering a big day of fun in the sun, is for newcomers to bond over a shared experience in their first year at university. What better way to get up close and personal with someone than repeatedly having to work up a sweat together? It also provides an opportunity for students to get to know their peers and form connections that, unsurprisingly, remain for the rest of their stay at SU. It’s a running campus joke that you share a very unshakable bond with your first-year Vensters dance partner.
Vensters, as the outdoor, in-person event we know and love, made a comeback after it was forced to be mostly online for the past two years. Gone were the COVID-19 masks, but so were the traditional stages outside residences across campus. This year Vensters was organised on one big stage at Welgevallen Hockey Fields in tandem with MC Fest, a music festival hosted by Connect Maties that showcased names like Neon Dreams, Early B and Sun-El Musician among others.
Rolling with the times while trying to revive campus life, this event marked the end of Connect Maties’ string of events that included the iconic Dreamwalk and the first-ever Dreamville Fair on the Rooiplein. The winning student collaboration for Vensters 2023 was Aristenhoff, while Helenica took the prize for best script, but seeing this significant moment back in full swing was definitely a big win for both town and gown.
