Beforehand, many participants gathered at the Wibauthof (behind the Wibaut building), where hot chocolate and good conversations immediately led to the first new encounters.

Once everyone had warmed up inside and taken their seats at a decorated table, they were welcomed by Henk Geveke (Executive Board AUAS) and Richard Goldstein (Executive Board UvA). It was then time to fill plates with delicious dishes from Indonesian and Korean cuisine. Of course, oliebollen and apple fritters weren’t to be missed.

Dancing during music bingo  

After the meal, the fun continued during the music bingo, with dancing to hits such as Gangnam Style and YMCA and plenty of friendly competition for fun prizes. Winners went home with lovely UvA and AUAS bags, jumpers, booklets and more. The photo booths were once again a big hit this year, kept busy all afternoon as everyone posed with cheerful Christmas accessories.

View all photos of the Christmas lunch 2025External link

Coming together and meeting new people 

The evaluation shows that the Christmas lunch really meets the need to be together and to get to know new people. Of the 171 respondents, three quarters indicated that they had come to the lunch to meet new people, and 94% actually made new connections. A great result! 

In addition, 131 friendship matches were made by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN). Participants could indicate in advance that they wished to be matched; based on shared interests they were paired up so they could meet on arrival and go in together.  

The lunch was a warm, welcoming space where everyone could enjoy meeting new people.  

Huge thanks to our volunteers

It was clearly a very successful afternoon. There was laughter, chatting, enjoyment of delicious food and of course plenty of dancing. This great success would not have been possible without our volunteers. Thank you so much for your fantastic efforts!

This year, the organising team consisted of Pieter Mendelts, Jasmijn Ritmeester, Milena Klijn and Sharon Schoenmaker. 

Do you have any questions or would you like to know more? Feel free to contact us at christmaslunch-fs@hva.nlExternal link.