Celebrate culture, creativity, and competition at MSU Cultural Night!

Est. Reading Time: 3 minutes

Join the McMaster community for a vibrant evening of performances, food and exciting volleyball action

On Jan. 24, 2025, the McMaster Students Union will host MSU Cultural Night from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Burridge Gym. This special event will serve as a platform for McMaster’s student cultural clubs to showcase their rich cultural backgrounds and foster a sense of community and inclusivity.

Rene Hares, clubs administrator of the McMaster Students Union, oversees all of the MSU's ratified clubs and is an organizer of the MSU Cultural Night. "This is an opportunity for all of these cultural clubs to come together and they get to see what everybody has been working on throughout the year, what they have to offer, what makes them proud about their culture," said Hares.

This is an opportunity for all of these cultural clubs to come together and they get to see what everybody has been working on throughout the year, what they have to offer, what makes them proud about their culture.

Rene Hares, Clubs Administrator
McMaster Students Union

MSU Cultural Night will feature six MSU cultural clubs that were selected on a first come first serve basis.

"We have limited space because we're limited to the space that is near the gym. We reached out to all of the cultural clubs and we asked them to sign up if they were interested in participating . . . So we ended up working with the first six clubs that applied because that was what we could accommodate for of the clubs," said Hares.

The clubs selected are macGEET, Mac Serbs, McMaster South Indian Students Association, McMaster Moroccan Students Association, Hindu Students' Association and McMaster Muslim Students’ Association.

The food at the event will be sold by McMaster Hospitality Services and will incorporate cultural elements to their menu. "We took a list of recommendations of food [from cultural clubs] and we submitted it to hospitality services to hopefully create a variety of options of things that maybe they would be interested in integrating into their menu," said Hares.

For those who enjoy friendly competition, the night will also feature volleyball games which will add an exciting element. The McMaster women's volleyball team will be playing at 6:00 p.m. and the men's volleyball game will begin at 8:00 p.m. while the cultural clubs are displayed at tables in a space near the gym. To kickoff the games, two members of macGEET will be performing the national anthem.

Hares discussed that all other cultural performances will be virtual and played on the video board in the gym. "Clubs have the opportunity to submit a 30-second clip about their club that could be played throughout the games," said Hares.

Beyond the competition and food, MSU Cultural Night will also serve as an opportunity for students to learn more about the cultural clubs at McMaster and how they can get involved. Four of the six clubs will have tables to showcase their club merchandise, answer questions and advertise their club to attendees.

Hares encourages students to explore the diverse range of clubs on campus and hopes attendees see what the clubs department has to offer.

"Obviously, not all of our cultural clubs are going to be at the game, but I hope that attendees can see, "wow, there is so many cultural clubs at the MSU. I should look into all of the other ones that I don't see here"," said Hares.

"I think it's really important to supplement focusing on academics with just social aspects of student life, and this is a really great way to do that. It's a way to find people that have similar values and visions as you and I think that that can help you become more successful academically if you have a well balanced social and academic career," said Hares when asked about the value of joining student clubs.

It's a way to find people that have similar values and visions as you and I think that that can help you become more successful academically if you have like a well balanced social and academic career.

Rene Hares, Clubs Administrator
McMaster Students Union

Whether attending to enjoy the games, the food or to visit the clubs, students will have the chance to connect with their peers and experience the vibrant cultural life here at McMaster. Keep up with the MSU Clubs Department's Instagram for more engaging events that showcase the diversity on campus.

Subscribe to our Mailing List

© 2025 The Silhouette. All Rights Reserved. McMaster University's Student Newspaper.
magnifiercrossmenuarrow-right