ESN ACTIVITIES!

One of the main goals of ESN Utrecht is to create a community of students that is rooted in Dutch culture but that flowers again each year with members and cultures from all over the world. The most important aspect of the ESN community is connection with other people so that you will feel at home in Utrecht. The best way to get this feeling of connection and community is by doing activities together and sharing experiences with your fellow students. In order to let you connect with Utrecht, the Netherlands, and your fellow students, the different ESN Utrecht volunteer committees organise many activities throughout the year.

During the semesters, they organise at least one activity a week, so you will definitely not get bored. Whether you’re an exchange student, a bachelor student, a master student, or even a that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Below is our pick of the most exciting ESN activities.

Introduction Week

Twice a year, the Introduction Committee organises an Introduction Week, one in September and one in February. These introduction weeks are meant for students that have just arrived in the Netherlands, but anyone can volunteer to be a mentor so that you can join the activities even if you’re no longer ‘new’ in Utrecht. Activities include laser gaming, a pubquiz, playing pool, watching movies, and having dinner together. During these activities, you’ll get to know your fellow international students and you’ll also meet some Dutchies who’ve opted to become mentors.

International Student Night

Club Poema is a nightclub which is notorious amongst students. Here, at least your nights will never be boring! Even though Poema is open almost every day of the week, Tuesdays are special because of the ESN International Student Night. This is when the club is usually packed with internationals and Dutchies and if you arrive before 00:30, the ESN Board will welcome you and give you two free drinks. Next to that, the Party Committee also often organises events in Club Poema!

Day trips

You can also opt to participate in one of the many day trips. The Culture Committee decides which places you will visit. They usually choose Dutch cities such as Leiden and Rotterdam, which are not too far away but have more than enough wonderful architecture and food specialities to keep you occupied for a whole day. The volunteers will make sure you don’t miss any highlights. On these trips, you’ll leave Utrecht in the morning, participate in all kinds of tours and activities during the day, have dinner in a restaurant in the evening, and return back to Utrecht before midnight.

If a one-day trip is not enough for you and you want even more fun, you can opt to join on one of the weekend trips. On these trips, the Culture Committee will take you a bit further away from Utrecht, for example to Ghent or Maastricht. These trips also include an overnight stay in a hostel. Sharing a room with other ESN members will make for even stronger bonding, so do not hesitate to come along.

King’s Day

King’s Day is a very special day in the Netherlands. It’s an annual holiday on the 27th of April and hundreds of thousands of Dutchies put on orange clothes and gather in the streets and at festivals to celebrate the birthday of King Willem Alexander. In the larger cities such as Amsterdam and Utrecht, it’s a habit for Dutchies to have a party on a boat while they sail through the canals or to sit on the shores with music and drinks to watch these boats pass by.

To make this Dutch phenomenon an unforgettable experience for you, ESN will take you on a party boat through one of the larger cities. You can dance your heart out while enjoying the masses of people in orange that cheer for you from the shores of the canals.

Volunteer activities

All ESN activities are organised by volunteers in cooperation with the Board. Strong communication is necessary between the volunteers in order to make all activities run smoothly, but also to encourage friendships within committees.

Therefore, some activities are only open to ESN Utrecht volunteers so that they can bond with each other. Volunteer activities include weekends away and barbecues! Of course, everyone is free to become a volunteer, you can always send an email or sign up to become a volunteer!