The third annual Festival of Lights is scheduled to set the campus aglow next weekend, when the Student Union will be decked out in full holiday array with over 10,000 strings of lights.

The festival is a celebration of the many holiday traditions of the University's diverse community. Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Three King's Day, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year, and Christmas, are among the holidays that will be celebrated.

The festival will begin with a two-day celebration of Kwanzaa, a holiday celebrated by people of African-American descent, in the Student Union on Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5.

Sunday, December 6 promises to be an event-packed day. A smorgasbord of activities, including cookie decorating, visits with Santa, storytelling, and holiday craft-making will run from 1-4 p.m. in the Student Union lobby. The new UConn Ice Arena will feature ice skating for members of the University community, and the College of Agriculture will sponsor the Annual Holiday Barn. Sunday's events will culminate with a lighting ceremony, featuring the lighting of the Student Union and a performance by the Voices of Freedom Gospel Choir, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. on the Student Union Mall.

Jennifer Ridder