Return of Diadeloso

Celebrating its 90th anniversary as one of Baylor’s oldest traditions, Diadeloso — or “The Day of the Bear” — returned to the Baylor campus in April, the first on-campus celebration of the annual spring holiday since 2019 after adjustments to the celebration in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.

Featuring some of the most beloved Dia attractions in recent years — as well as several tips of the hat to the original activities in the 1930s — this year’s Diadeloso was described by organizers as a “best of” celebration.

“For us, what was most important was to highlight and honor that history of just how incredible it is when you have an event that is turning 90 years old and the essence of that program has stayed the same. It’s a great chance for the community to come together and just enjoy a day of fun,” said Jordy Dickey, associate director of student activities at Baylor.

Top attractions for students made a return appearance, including a fun run, goat yoga, gondola-style Ferris wheel, petting zoo, fun slide and a headlining concert performance by the Christian pop-rock band Apollo LTD whose song Sunday Morning Feeling was featured in last year’s University national commercial. Baylor’s National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) also hosted three separate high-energy, afternoon performances on the main stage in Fountain Mall.

In the “field day” tradition of the original Diadeloso celebrations, there were a number of competition-based activities, including whiffle ball, mini golf, human hamster-ball races, tug of war, pickleball, cornhole and axe throwing. The whiffle ball competitions were also a callback to the original Diadeloso competition, which centered around an annual baseball game when students would compete against faculty and staff.