| Well-known campus events | 1) Volunteers for International Student Affairs annual International Talent Show - Started 42 years, ago, it attracts an audience of some 1, 500 and showcases different cultures through music and dance. 2) ACCENT - Started in the early 1960s, the UF Student Government speaker's bureau typically brings in 10 to 12 speakers to campus each year. Admission is free. Past speakers include Mikhail Gorbachev, Magic Johnson, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Alexander Haig, Bob Dole, Ralph Nader, Bob Woodward, Ellen Degeneres and Spike Lee. 3) Gator Nights - Sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, Student Government and the Reitz Union Board, Gator Nights is a series of Friday night events (6: 30pm to 2: 00am), Gator Nights offers students an alternative way to spend their weekend evenings. Activities include comedians, live bands, laser tag, movies, a food bar, and dances, mostly free. Attendance averages 1, 3000 students. 4) Museum Nights - The Harn Museum and Florida Museum of Natural History are open Thursday evenings for food, entertainment, fun and a chance to visit the museums. Co-sponsored by UF Student Government, this has proven to be a very popular event. 5) Florida Invitational Step Show - Organized by the Black Student Union and usually held in February to honor Black History Month. The show attracts an audience of thousands, many from out of state. 6) Dance Marathon - Started in 1995, Dance Marathon is, as its name suggests, a marathon dancing session (more than 30 hours) that serves as a fundraiser for the local Children's Miracle Network. Organized by campus Greeks, it attracts several hundred participants each year and raised nearly $340, 000 in 2006. 7) Gator Growl - Started in 1925 as a bonfire and pep rally, Gator Growl has grown into a nationally recognized, three-hour extravaganza featuring a laser light show, a massive fireworks display and top-line entertainers such as Bill Cosby, Bob Hope, Robin Williams, the Smothers Brothers, George Burns, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld and Howie Mandel. The event, held in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, typically attracts more than 60, 000 people. |