What do you get when you combine sunshine, good food and great colleagues? Unifiesta 2026. In glorious sunshine, around 1500 staff members enjoyed the UAntwerp staff party. The Chinese mitten crabs, micropellets and microbiome were the finishing touches to the party.
Musical highlights on stage
‘Un, dos, tres, catorce!’ is how ‘t Rockend Geprofte opened the stage. There was Uptown Girl and a sing-along with Rector Herwig Leirs, who revealed he would happily walk 500 miles for us, just like the Proclaimers sang in ‘I’m gonna be (500 miles)’.
Mission Kowalski then took over and soon got the tent rocking with their version of ‘t Smidje (Laïs). During their set, Xenia Geysemans from Pastoral Care brought her colleagues from religous accommodations on stage. Together, they made a short but heartfelt statement: ‘In times when people are so often pitted against each other, we choose to stand side by side. Togetherness is not a weakness.’
Rewatch their version of The Temple of Love (The Sisters of Mercy)
From stage performers to water performers
Besides the music, you could also discover three striking research projects from our university. Through audio and live drawings, you learned more about how the Chinese mitten crab affects our waterways. Those who preferred a more hands-on approach could search for microplastics in samples from the Scheldt. And those who were lucky with their scratching could even catch a glimpse of their own microbiome within a few weeks, giving a unique look into the invisible world on our skin.
Are you as photogenic as your microbiome? Find out for yourself in the photo album. Or spot yourself in the aftermovie below.
763 euros for students in need
There were also quite a few colleagues who hadn’t used all their drink coupons and were happy to donate them to the Students in Need fund. In doing so, we provide financial support to vulnerable students at our university. The initiative raised a total of 763 euros.
