Hundreds embrace the outdoors at UCalgary's first-ever Pop-up Picnic

Despite a gloomy weather forecast, the sun reappeared on July 25 as hundreds of UCalgary community members joined the Campus Mental Health Strategy to celebrate their new picnic tables at the Pop-up Picnic.

As the CMHS’s first outdoor event, the Pop-up Picnic welcomed more than 300 people to the Rozsa Centre loop to engage in environmentally conscious drop-in activities, including Zumba, 15-minute mindfulness and wildflower planting.

In addition to these popular events, wellness booths hosted by SU Wellness, Staff Wellness, WellBeing and WorkLife and the Office of Sustainability mingled with attendees and doled out tickets for tasty treats provided by the Family Freezed and Family Squeezed food trucks.

With the guidance of the Office of Sustainability, the outdoor celebration was also deemed the university’s first Gold-certified sustainable event, the highest level of recognition available at UCalgary.

Located at the Rozsa Centre and Science B, the CMHS picnic tables are spaces where our university family is encouraged to engage positively, reduce stress, connect with nature and build our community of caring.