PolyU Orientation, O-Camp, and Campus Festivals (Part 1): From Info Day to the Rituals of Red Brick

This is Part 1, which maps out the formal architecture of official festivals and ceremonies. For the "administrative tensions" — SAO student development support, the risk boundaries of "Big O/Small O" camps, and the distinct orientation needs of commuter students, hall residents, and non-local students — see Part 2.

In a nutshell: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) sustains a year-long cycle of periodic ceremonial events — an autumn admissions Information Day (drawing over 40,000 visitors^※ per edition, as recorded in 2024), a late-August Orientation Week, student-led O-Camps supported by SAO, a November Congregation (the 31st Congregation was held in 2025^※), and CPEO-organised cultural festivals — which together convert the visual iconography of its "red brick" campus into a collective sense of ritual and identity.

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# What Does "Red Brick" Mean? The Origins of PolyU's Visual Icon

The iconic red brick architecture of PolyU's campus is the physical backdrop for every one of its rituals. According to PolyU's official publication Excel@PolyU, the campus's red brick style was led by architect James Kinoshita of Palmer & Turner when the Polytechnic was formally established in 1972, drawing inspiration from the red brick traditions of British and American universities, with the main blocks raised one storey to create covered multi-purpose open spaces beneath^※.

According to the city culture magazine Zolima CityMag, even through decades of subsequent campus expansion, red brick remains the core visual identity of PolyU, which the magazine has dubbed "Hong Kong's most underrated modern landmark"^※. Red brick is more than a façade material — it is a shared visual language among "PolyU-ians" and the stage on which every campus festival plays out.

After its reform in 2022, the former Hong Kong Polytechnic University Students' Union^※ was reorganised under the name Red Brick Society, directly invoking this symbol — a measure of how deeply "red brick" anchors the student culture at PolyU.

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# PolyU Information Day: An Admissions Carnival for 40,000 Each Year

Information Day (Info Day) is PolyU's largest annual recruitment event aimed at prospective undergraduates. It is typically held in the autumn on the Hung Hom main campus and has long drawn large crowds of secondary school students, parents, and working professionals seeking further study.

According to an official PolyU press release, the 2024 Info Day was held on Saturday, 12 October, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., drawing more than 40,000 visitors^※ seeking the latest admissions and programme information. The event included talks on JUPAS, non-JUPAS, senior-year admissions, and the Gaokao (mainland China's national university entrance exam), along with over 200 programme consultation sessions, laboratory tours, and student sharing workshops. The Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Jin-Guang Teng, and other senior management attended and toured the faculty booths.

By 2025, the Info Day was moved to Saturday, 27 September, with the theme "Innovation and Diversity"^※. The number of activities expanded to over 250, and the event marked the first showcase of new programmes for the 2026/27 academic year, including a bachelor's degree in Sports Science and Technology and a bachelor's degree in Language Sciences and Technology. A newly launched "Bachelor's Degree Scheme in Interdisciplinary Studies", under which students can explore across faculties before confirming a major, was also premiered as a key offering at Info Day.

Information Day is a one-day event held each autumn; the specific date is announced annually by the University, typically a few months after the HKDSE results are released and before institutional application deadlines close.

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# Beyond Info Day: InnoTech Open Day and Thematic Visits

Beyond the annual Info Day, PolyU also organises occasional themed open days. According to PolyU's 85th Anniversary event page, the "PolyU InnoTech Open Day" was held on 16 July 2022 (marking PolyU's 85th anniversary), from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., opening with a keynote address by Nobel laureate Sir Michael Houghton^※. It featured 8 specialist talks on research and innovation, 14 start-up exhibitions, 20 themed campus tour routes, and parallel admissions consultation booths from 14 academic departments.

Events of this kind emphasise research output and tech transfer, distinct from the JUPAS-oriented admissions Information Day; they are primarily aimed at industry partners, the media, and members of the public interested in innovation. The two types of event are complementary: one says "come in and see the programmes," the other says "come in and see the research."

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# Orientation Week: A Fresher's First Ritual on the Red Brick Campus

Late August each year is the moment when new students step onto the PolyU campus and begin the process of building a collective identity. PolyU's orientation system is built around two official pillars — the President's Welcome and the Orientation Showcase — supplemented by a layer of student-led activities organised by academic departments and halls.

According to an official PolyU press release, the Orientation Info Days 2025 were held on 27 and 28 August, with over 2,300 new students attending the "President's Welcome" at the Jockey Club Auditorium, which was simultaneously live-streamed to multiple campus venues^※. The welcome ceremony included performances by the PolyU Orchestra and Choir, a student dance performance, and a talk by a guest alumnus — in 2025, Dr Wang Xuesong, founder of EcoFlow, shared his story of learning and growth at PolyU to inspire new students to pursue their ambitions.

In his address, Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Jin-Guang Teng told the new cohort: 「I wish you a rewarding journey at PolyU, where you will not only gain professional knowledge but also grow into a better person in all aspects.」^※

The following day's Orientation Showcase was held at the Shaw Sports Complex, with over 40 booths run by academic units and student organisations to introduce new students to campus support services, co-curricular activities, and various resources.

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# Student-Led Orientation and O-Camps: The Three Layers of Faculty, Hall, and Society

Alongside the University's official welcome, PolyU has a parallel "student orientation" system run by student organisations. According to the Wikipedia entry "Orientation camps in Hong Kong"^※, orientation camps (O-Camps) at Hong Kong's universities fall into two categories: "Big O" (organised by the students' union) and "Small O" (organised by faculty/department societies). "Big O" introduces new students to university-wide life and culture, while "Small O" focuses on building a network within one's own faculty and department.

Each activity group includes 2 to 4 senior students acting as "group fathers" (組爸) and "group mothers" (組媽) to help new students integrate into campus life. At the hall level, there are also "Hall O Camps," which run parallel to departmental orientations and serve as the entry point for hall residents to build a sense of belonging.

PolyU's orientation activities have undergone adjustments since 2025: the Student Affairs Office (SAO) now sets up a "Welcome Roadshow" before the start of the academic year, displaying a list of all approved student-led orientation activities so that new students can learn about them and make informed choices about participation. Student-led activities must be registered with SAO in advance before they can be promoted.

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# Congregation: Gowns, the Jockey Club Auditorium, and the Weight of a Degree

If orientation marks the point of "entry," then Congregation marks the rite of "exit" — the culminating ceremony of four years of study and the most formal occasion in PolyU's tradition.

PolyU's Congregation follows the British university tradition, with strict requirements for academic dress. According to the Academic Registry's official arrangements, graduates of different degree levels wear gowns of distinct colours and styles, which must be rented in advance from the University's designated supplier, Victoria Uniform; graduates who fail to wear the correct academic gown will not be arranged to go on stage or participate in the group photograph^※.

Congregation is held in two seasons each year: a dedicated ceremony for doctoral graduates in May^※, and a full series of ceremonies covering all degree levels (from sub-degree to professional doctorate) from late October to November.

According to an official PolyU press release, the 31st Congregation (May 2025 session) was held on 10 May at the Jockey Club Auditorium, conferring degrees on 226 doctoral graduates (covering PhD graduates between October 2024 and March 2025)^※. At the ceremony, Vice-Chancellor Professor Teng stated: "We aspire for our graduates to connect academic research to societal needs and solve complex problems by driving innovation."

The 30th Congregation (November 2024 session) ran from 31 October to 16 November 2024, spanning roughly two weeks and covering bachelor's, master's, professional doctorate, and sub-degree graduates across all faculties^※. Taking the Faculty of Humanities as an example, a total of 881 graduates attended its 2025 ceremony, comprising 188 undergraduates and 693 postgraduates^※.

Attendance at Congregation does not affect degree conferment status; wearing the correct academic gown is a mandatory condition for attendance (and affects stage and photograph arrangements).

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# PolyU Hall Festival and Campus Life Festival: The Everyday Festivals of the "Red Brick Community"

PolyU's festive rituals extend beyond formal admissions and graduation occasions. Distributed across the academic year are numerous student-centred events. Among them, the Campus Life Festival is a University-wide student activities carnival held at the start of the academic year in September.

According to official SAO reports, the 2025 Campus Life Festival was held from 10–12 September on the FJ and FG Podiums, drawing more than 10,000 PolyU students, with 40 student groups setting up booths to showcase activities in art, sports, culture, and entertainment^※. The event was attended by Vice President Professor Ben Young and Acting Dean of Students and Global Affairs Professor Horace Mui. The 2026 Campus Life Festival is scheduled for 3–4 and 7–8 September at the Shaw Sports Complex, open daily from noon to 6:00 p.m.^※.

Another annual tradition is the PolyU Hall Festival, typically held in November, which is the largest collective activity at the hall level. During the festival, the hall associations of each residence organise joint exhibitions, competitions, and gala evenings, making it a key moment for hall residents to express their collective identity.

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# CPEO Cultural Festivals: The Cultural-Ritual Layer of the Red Brick Campus

Each year, two major cultural festivals organised by the Cultural Promotion and Events Office (CPEO) add a layer of ritual depth to the campus calendar.

The PolyU Chinese Culture Festival is CPEO's largest annual cultural project. According to the CPEO's official page, the festival aims to "deepen the younger generation's appreciation of Chinese culture," covering exhibitions of traditional crafts such as lacquerware, embroidery, and indigo dyeing, performing arts (erhu concerts, Mid-Autumn galas, etc.), academic talks, and workshops^※. The 2024 festival coincided with the 30th anniversary of PolyU's attainment of full university status (since 1994), with activities running from March to November, including a cross-institutional "Hong Kong, Macao, and Mainland China University Students' Chinese Classics Recitation Performance."

The PolyU International Cultural Festival is held each spring (roughly late March to early April) under the theme of multiculturalism. The 2025 International Cultural Festival ran from 24 March to 10 April, jointly organised by CPEO, SAO, the Global Engagement Office, and the Department of English and Communication^※. It featured an opening ceremony, film screenings, five cultural nights (covering International, South Asian, Kazakh, Malaysian, and Indonesian cultures, among others), K-pop random dance, an Italian Commedia dell'arte performance, and a European Gourmet Fest.

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# The Festival Calendar: A Ritual Map of the PolyU Academic Year

Placed within the framework of the academic year, the varied festivals outlined above reveal the ritual rhythm of PolyU campus life — from a student's arrival to their departure at graduation, a collective ceremony marks a milestone every few weeks.

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# How These Festivals Forge a "Red Brick" Identity

Each university in Hong Kong has its own symbols and traditions — HKU has its century-old Main Building, CUHK has its collegiate system. PolyU's sense of identity has long been anchored by the visual symbol of red brick, which is activated and reproduced through a cycle of periodic ceremonies.

Freshers walk through the red-brick-clad corridors and courtyards for the first time during Orientation Week; at the Campus Life Festival and O-Camps, they discover the diverse communities of halls, societies, and sports; at Congregation, they don academic gowns and cross the same red-bricked ground; at the Chinese Culture Festival and International Cultural Festival, they encounter a breadth of campus life that stretches beyond the confines of "polytechnic." This arc of rituals condenses the four years from matriculation to graduation into a nameable experience. The identity of "PolyU-ian" accumulates, step by step, within these recurring scenes.

Compared with the hall culture of HKU or the collegiate system of CUHK, PolyU lacks a University-wide college-based identity framework; its festive traditions operate primarily along the axes of the University as a whole (Logo Square / Jockey Club Auditorium) and faculty/department societies, rather than through a single elite community. This gives PolyU's festive culture an inherent tendency towards inclusiveness and plurality, and makes "red brick" itself the cultural symbol that commands the widest consensus.

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# Beneath the Architecture: Administration, Tensions, and the Edge of What We Can Write

What has been sketched above is the public architecture of PolyU's festival ceremonies — how Info Day, Orientation Info Days, O-Camps, Congregation, and CPEO festivals are arranged across the calendar, and how these events are recorded in official documents. But what truly shapes the student experience of orientation is the administrative chassis beneath this architecture (SAO), the risk boundaries between "Big O" and "Small O" camps, and the three divergent needs of commuter students, hall residents, and non-local students — these are unpacked in Part 2.

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