The Uppsala River Rafting Event is an event organized in Uppsala, Sweden on the Fyris River at the end of April each year. Started in 1975, the event is organized by the Uppsala Union of Engineering and Science Students (UTN).

The River Rafting

The rafting takes place on 30 April every year,

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. Normally about 100 participants float the Haglund bridge in Uppsala to Islandsfallet in home-built

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rafts. Upwards of 30,000 spectators may watch the event. The prizes are awarded by the principal of the university, the

Rector Magnificus A rector (Latin for 'ruler') is a senior official in an educational institution, and can refer to an official in either a university or a secondary school. Outside the English-speaking world the rector is often the most senior official in a un ...

. A few of the rafts represent different organizations but the vast majority of the participants are students at the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

or other universities

The River Festival

The River

Festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

, which takes place during the preceding week, allows participants to build their rafts in the raft-construction area,. During the daytime, there are a number of activities and in the evenings different themed pubs, parties and performances. The night before the rafting event is known as Kvalborg (qualifying night).

The Rafting committee

The

Rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

committee organizes both the River Rafting and the Rafting Festival. The committee is selected once a year and consists of 23 volunteers who are students at the Department of Engineering and Science. The members of the committee are recognisable by their red tops and black carpenter's trousers with flames licking up their legs.

References

External links

Pictures from the River Rafting in Uppsala

The River Rafting

Pictures from the River Rafting 2007

Pictures from the River Rafting 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uppsala River Rafting Event Rafting Raft races Annual events in Sweden Uppsala University Water sports in Sweden