Mason Day 2026 marks 61 years of community and tradition

ckearney — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:11:50 +0000

Mason Day 2026 marks 61 years of community and tradition ckearney Thu, 04/30/2026 - 16:11

Mason Day, 91��’s largest and longest-standing tradition, brought the community together for a carnival with games, rides, food, and music. This year’s concert headliner was hip-hop artist JT from City Girls, with support from indie pop band The Aces. The event—sponsored by University Life’s Student Involvement unit and free for George Mason students, faculty, and staff—occurs every April before final exams. This year, the festival attracted a record-setting 7,420 attendees.

This year’s Mason Day also included activities developed and implemented by students taking the event management course TOUR 221 Event Implementation and Evaluation, expanding the long-running event with a vital student perspective.

President Washington (center in green) catches up with students at Mason Day. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Mason Day has always been designed to accommodate everyone—energetic and overstimulated, celebratory and exhausted, longtime Patriots and first-time visitors. This year, attendees could decorate tote bags, make stuff-a-fluff plushies, and line up for carnival rides, while those who needed a quieter moment could step into an expanded sensory tent and reset with fidget toys and puzzles.

Lauren Long, executive director of Student Involvement, said accessibility was one of the major goals of the event. “In addition to the traditions students have come to expect, this year’s attendees experienced a Silent Disco, expanded Low Stimuli and Sensory tents, roaming artists, and a larger vendor fair. While Mason Day has changed over time, the true spirit that started 61 years ago to present live music and bring students together in community is still the center point of the event today.”

Photo by Andani Munkaila/Office of University Branding

Senior Bethel Tessera, a psychology major, made it to Mason Day for the third time, and brought her friend Lily Velapatino up from Richmond for the occasion. After a busy semester taking 18 credits, Tessera said the timing couldn’t have been better. The two started the afternoon decorating tote bags in the sun and decompressing after a long semester. Velapatino, taking it all in as a first-time visitor, said she was “very jealous of all the free activities and fun rides Mason Day has to offer.”

Vendors are also a big part of Mason Day, many of them students or alumni. Among the vendors this year was Hanieh Faani, a fine arts senior debuting her small business featuring handmade Iranian art, embroideries, and prints. The business is a family affair: Faani’s mother, Mahina Rajaei, a master’s student in counseling at George Mason, was there alongside her. A third generation will soon attend Mason as well—Rajaei’s granddaughter is set to enroll in fall 2026 to study physics.

“The proximity to our home and the tolerant environment makes Mason such an anchor in our family,” Faani said.

The rain didn't diminish the enthusiasm of the crowds at the evening concert. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

When the rain came in that evening, it didn’t faze the crowd. People gathered at the center stage with glow sticks and Mason Day swag, singing along with JT as the lights cut through the dark. By the time the concert ended and the carnival came down, Mason Day had done what it has done for 61 years: made room for all.

Topics

Around Mason: Favorite Photos of the Year

lclarkg — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:27:50 +0000

Around Mason: Favorite Photos of the Year lclarkg Thu, 07/27/2023 - 10:27

In This Story

Vicki Kirsch, PhD, MSW, MA

All year long, photographers in 91��’s Office of University Branding capture the moments that make Mason All Together Different. We asked our photographers to share their favorite photos from the 2022-23 school year.

As we prepare for a new academic year, let’s look back at these recent memories—skillfully frozen in time for the Mason vault.

Ron Aira, senior photographer, Creative Services

Weather can disrupt even the best laid plans. But according to Ron Aira, it can also create unexpected opportunities. In Aira’s favorite photos, forces of nature created powerful results. “Without the challenges of the wind and the rain, these shots would never have happened,” Aira said.

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Gabriella Grabovska, a first-year student in the Schar School, came to Mason from war-torn Ukraine. Aira captured her portraits in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“It was very windy—her hair and the flag were flying all over the place,” Aira said. “I decided to go with the wind. I told her to face the wind, think about her country, and let the flag fly, thinking about what it represents to her.” Read more about Grabovska.

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Mason Day is a day of celebration and fun, but Mason Day 2023 was also a day of torrential rain. Aira and his equipment were getting soaked. But he watched as Mason students still enjoyed the day, not letting the rain ruin their experience.

“In the downpour, I saw a moment of peace between this couple under the umbrella,” Aira said. “It was a beautiful moment of quiet serenity, in the middle of the concert and the rain coming in sideways.”

Evan Cantwell, senior photographer, Creative Services

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“Sometimes as a photographer, I get to witness students’ ‘aha’ moments, and it was amazing to see how social work students connected with each other and horses from Project Horse Empowerment Center,” Cantwell said.

Each semester, Associate Professor Vicki Kirsch brings students from her advanced Trauma and Recovery course to the center to learn about the emerging field of equine assisted psychotherapy. Read more about their experiences.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“We were finishing up our lifestyle photo session with students and the Office of International Programs and Services, and this robot beeped by,” Cantwell said. “This photo is also a great representation of how students from so many different countries all went to classes at Mason’s Fairfax Campus.”

Pumpkinbot, part of the Starship Robot fleet, appears on campus around Halloween. Because he’s somewhat elusive, those who spot him consider themselves lucky. “I’ve heard that if you take a selfie with Pumpkinbot, all your dining wishes come true,” Cantwell said.

Cristian Torres, videographer, Strategic Communications

Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

In September 2022, students from the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation‘s Wildlife Ecology and Conservation program tagged monarch butterflies on their journey south to help researchers better understand their grand migration.

“This was a fun day,” Torres said. “We documented one of the different opportunities that students have in the field, capturing monarch butterflies to identify and tag them.” Watch the video.

Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

Torres took photos at the Homecoming Tip Off Party in February 2023. “This was my first Homecoming at Mason,” Torres said. “I found the energy of the students celebrating together exciting. The event was full of happy faces, with everyone rooting for each other in the Lip Sync Battle.” See more photos from Homecoming events.