The University of Massachusetts Amherst
A lawn sign on campus advertising Founders Day
University News

Public Invited to UMass Amherst Celebration of Founders Day on April 29

The free, daylong campuswide event will feature more than 30 activities across 18 campus locations
UMass iconography styled as doodles of paint, foam finger, the library, the chapel, Go UMass pennant on a maroon background. Text overlay reads Founders Day with the University of Massachusetts Amherst wordmark and collegiate M

Members of the public are invited to join the University of Massachusetts Amherst community on Wednesday, April 29 for a daylong celebration of Founders Day 2026. From tours and open houses to inside looks at laboratories, collections, gardens and galleries, Founders Day will feature more than 30 free and open-to-the-public activities across 18 campus locations.

New for this year, all activities are organized under six tracks to help attendees plan their visit: Art and Music; The Living Campus; Innovation Showcase; Campus as a Museum; Care and Community and Spirit and Tradition.

Art and Music offerings include an artwalk allowing guests to visit the Hampden and Augusta Savage galleries and the University Museum of Contemporary Art; enjoy performances by the UMass Jazz Ensemble and the Graduate Brass Quintet in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library courtyard; and attend a Founders Day concert with performances by local and student bands organized by the Fine Arts Center.

Community members enjoy the campus bbq in front of the big M on Haigis Mall
Student shaking hands with a UMass Robotics dog
Student musicians perform a concert in the library courtyard
students play cornhole at Founders Day
UMass scientific glass blower firing a new instrument for UMass labs
Students engage with campus experts at the UMass Pollinators station
Student selecting flowers at the Stockbridge Floral Design Bouquet Bar
A person eyeing their next move in a game of giant chess at Founders Day 2025
Community members engage in line dancing lessons in front of the Bromery Center for the Arts
UMass Dining chef works the grill at Founders Day 2025
Students eat lunch in front of the Haigis Mall M during Founders Day 2025

A highlight of the day is the campus cookout hosted by the award-winning UMass Dining, which is preparing a healthy and sustainable meal featuring locally sourced items. The cookout on Haigis Mall will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will also feature lawn games, spirit stations, photo booths, information tables and more.

Among other activities offered during Founders Day will be an opportunity to meet the robot dogs and humanoids developed by UMass Robotics in the Bromery Center for the Arts Plaza, take tours of the Institute for Applied Life Sciences in the Life Science Laboratories on Thatcher Road, and tour the more than 8,000 actively managed 350+ specifies of trees, as well as shrubs and gardens, throughout campus that comprise the Waugh Arboretum. 

Historic image of the library and Old Chapel

UMass Amherst began a formal celebration called Founders Day in 2010 to mark the April 29, 1863 signing of the charter that led to the creation of Massachusetts Agricultural College by Massachusetts Governor John Andrew. What started as a celebratory campus cookout has become a daylong annual opportunity to showcase UMass Amherst pride not only for faculty, staff and students, but members of the local community. 

On Founders Day, campus and local community members are encouraged to use UMass Transit campus shuttles for routes 34 and 35 to access the various events beyond the center of campus. Visitors can also park on campus in lot 34 located on Massachusetts Avenue or in the parking garage at 91 Campus Center Way.

All Founders Day events can be found at UMass.edu/Founders-Day.