Winterfest Canceled Due to Budget Restrictions

As the weather cools down in Amherst, anticipation is warming up for the college’s seasonal events. The Fall Festival, scheduled for Oct. 19, will feature pumpkin carving, horse-drawn wagon rides, lawn games, and live music. However, another seasonal Amherst event, the Winter Festival, will be missing from this year’s calendar. 

In a Friday email to The Student, Chief Communications Officer Sandy Genelius confirmed that the Winter Festival will not be held this year. “The current economic environment presents many financial challenges for everyone — including higher interest rates, ongoing inflation, and political uncertainties — which directly impact the College’s operating budget,” she stated.

“Our obligation to responsibly manage that budget while maintaining our focus on providing the best educational experience possible for our students unfortunately led to the decision to … cancel [the] Winter Festival this year,” Genelius explained. However, she confirmed that the college will continue to hold the City Streets festival in the spring. The fate of next year’s Winter Festival, she shared, will likely depend on economic conditions and programming plans for the Student Center and Dining Commons. 

Established in 2012 and sponsored by the Office of the President, the festival, colloquially referred to as Winter Fest, has served as a tradition marking the beginning of the spring semester for students, faculty, staff, and their families. 

Last year, the festival included ice sculpting demonstrations, a 20-foot-tall inflatable slide, live music, ice skating at the Orr Rink, and an array of food. Those in attendance enjoyed the Donut Wall, Baked Potato Bar, Bao, and Hot Chocolate Bar from Dining Services, as well as outsourced food like waffles from Waffle Cabin in Vermont. 

Students have expressed disappointment over the cancellation of the Winter Festival. “I know how much it meant to people and how much I had fun going with my friends … so I do feel bummed out,” Fran Torres ’26 said.

Hayliann Smith ’28 said that the event is crucial for student connection and community engagement, adding that it was an important morale booster during the winter season. “I think it’s worth the financial cost for those reasons … winter is a rough time, so it’s nice to have something to look forward to.” 

Liam Hall ’28 felt that outright cancellation was not necessary, as “[the administration] could have toned it down or done other things to make it work for the happiness of the students.”

Genelius noted ongoing discussions to expand recreational offerings, such as more learn-to-skate and open ice skate times, through a collaboration between Student Affairs and Athletics. “There have been no reductions to student programming and, in fact, Student Affairs has added programs like [The Amherst Party]” she added. The Amherst Party (TAP) is a long-standing college tradition run by the Association of Amherst Students that hosts parties centered around a keg of beer available to students aged 21 and over. 

However, students also expressed hope that the financial savings from cancelling the Winter Festival will benefit the college in other ways. 

“I think that a small fraction of the money spent on the extravagant things at Winter Fest can be put into smaller, more frequent events, like ‘Mountain Day,’ which they have at Smith and Williams,” Riley Donat ’28 said. 

Lucas Silva ’28 shared: “I do think it’s interesting that Winter Fest was cancelled for financial reasons despite the recent rise in tuition. However, I do hope that admin[istrators] take this as an opportunity to go all out during [the] Fall Fest[ival], especially since it coincides with Parents’ Weekend.”