Neighbours' Day Festival shows that Utrecht Science Park can be vibrant at weekends

As Ray Polman opens the festival on behalf of all residential boards, the streets of Utrecht Science Park are empty, as they usually are on Saturdays. Shortly after three o'clock, he walks into the Johanna building in a bit of a hurry. He quickly washes the chalk off his hands, which he used to mark out a route on campus, and then engages in a cheerful chat with his companions, including the district councillor, Eva Oosters, and representatives of the district office. They are all old acquaintances of his. Together, they strive to improve the quality of life for those living at Utrecht Science Park (USP). Ray can't hide his pride as he shows what one can do in the neighbourhood today.

Both the municipal council and the residents of Science Park are concerned about the quality of life in the area, so much so that the council has referred to it as a problem neighbourhood. A survey showed that many of its residents struggle with mental health issues. There are many explanations for these figures, of course, but there is no doubt that their living situation could be significantly improved – and that is exactly what student representatives are working hard to achieve. 

The idea behind Neighbours' Day is to demonstrate that the Utrecht Science Park has the potential to be a vibrant area, even when no lectures are being held. ‘Over 3,000 students live here. Just think of the relationships, friendships and conviviality that this could generate,’ explains Ray, as he guides the group towards Plaza 030, inside Casa Confetti. ‘Hopefully, this festival will show the residents that things can be different!’

Quiet or too quiet?
They open the first beer cans on the roof terrace of Casa Confetti, fifteen storeys high. Dressed in lederhosen and checked shirts, the residents' committee hands out beers and pretzels. A few people emerge from the lift, and they are instantly offered a Tyrolean hat. Sven, who is walking around the roof terrace without a hat or beer, likes the Neighbours' Day initiative. ‘Yes, this place is usually empty at the weekends, so I go to my parents' house often.’ He barely knows the other students living at Science Park. ‘Sometimes I sit here working in the sun and hardly anyone comes by.’

The roof terrace is nowhere near crowded, but Ray is not worried about that. ‘You know how students are! They arrive late!’ Ray decides to follow the route he drew on the ground earlier that day and stop by the food trucks that have opened especially for Neighbours' Day. It can't hurt to remind them that students arrive late. Falafel & Halloumi's owner Eid is still waiting for his first customers. He opens his food on Saturdays sometimes, but mostly it remains closed.  ‘I would like to open on Saturdays, but there are simply not enough customers.’ The uncertainty about opening on Neighbours' Day is visible on his face. Ray tries to reassure him: ‘They are coming! Once they have a full stamp card!’ Those who get stamps from all five USP student complexes receive a discount at the food trucks.

On top of Casa Confetti, housemates Julia, Luca and Alex have collected almost all stamps. ‘It's really nice to see the inside of the other buildings,’ says Julia. They wish the building where they live, De Bisschoppen, had such a roof terrace – or at least a similar place to hang out. ‘We don't even know our own neighbours. That's a shame.’ They do cherish the peace and quiet of Utrecht Science Park, though, especially after a busy day studying. When asked which Neighbours' Day activity was their favourite, they say: ‘I guess the Wat Voor Buur Ben Jij? (What Kind of Neighbour Are You?) installation? That was a lot of fun!’

At the Wat Voor Buur Ben Jij? installation, groups are busy filling out an online questionnaire. After a while, two ping pong balls appear inside two tubes, one of them labelled 'helpful neighbour' and another one labelled 'quiet neighbour'. This comes as no surprise to the creator of the installation, Nene. In the week leading up to Neighbour Day, her installation was placed at five different buildings. 'Quiet neighbour' was always the most popular category. ‘We can take these results into account when organising activities in the future.’

'Quiet' and 'social' are not mutually exclusive
'Keeping quiet' and 'having fun' are not mutually exclusive at the Neighbours' Day Festival, as can be seen on the field next to Cambridgelaan. Just before dinner time, several groups are there playing badminton, Kubb, and flunky ball. The camping atmosphere is further emphasised by a row of party tents. 'We have asked everyone to come to the barbecues when it gets dark so we can make s'mores together,' says Kika, from the residents' association.

Housemates Jan and Anka, who were both classified as 'social neighbours' by Wat Voor Buur Ben Jij?, have already collected all stamps. ‘We've taken our 10,000 steps already and talked to lots of new people!’ Jan says, smiling. The two housemates often return to their parents' houses on weekends. ‘This place is usually dead. It's nice that it's so lively now, but it has to stay special!’ says Anka.

The type of housing on Cambridgelaan contributes to the hustle and bustle in the field. Whereas most homes at Utrecht Science Park are studios where students live alone, at Cambridgelaan, all homes are shared. Groups of housemates gather around the different activities, with or without a stamp card.

Like Jan and Anka, Alieke came to Neighbours' Day accompanied by her housemates. The group is engaged in a flunky ball battle. ‘Penalty box! Penalty box!’ her team shouts at an opponent who was clumsy enough to knock over a beer. They ran into their rivals somewhere during Neighbours' Day. ‘It's nice to get to know some of the other residents,’ says Alieke. ‘Organising Neighbours' Day was a great idea and I love it that people are paying more attention to the living situation at Science Park!’ Her housemates nod in agreement. ‘Living here is actually underrated,’ she adds, just before a new round of the drinking game begins.

Further down, in the Johanna building, people are playing beer pong with their own beers, as the beer provided by the organisers has run out. But that definitely hasn't spoiled the fun, so much so that the back door is open to let in some fresh air. The temperature has risen considerably.

A long queue forms at Eid's falafel truck when the streetlights come on. ‘It's been too busy for the past hour,’ he says. He has seen many stamp cards this evening, as evidenced by all the students sitting at the picnic tables around. Salvatore, owner of Pizzeria Tricolore, has also seen a lot of stamp cards. ‘We actually want to close, but people just keep coming in.’ Salvatore usually closes his business at weekends so that his staff can have a couple of days off. Today is an exception, but he thinks it was worth giving up his Saturday.

Ray is thrilled about how the day has gone. ‘The biggest we had had before this was a beer pong competition with fifty people. We've surpassed that by far now!’ he exclaims, beaming. But he soon has to hurry up again. ‘The food trucks will be closing soon, and I want to thank them for their trust!’

A packed afterparty
The food trucks might be closed, but that does not mark the end of Neighbours' Day. Several groups head towards Cambridge Bar for an afterparty. The bar, which normally only opens on weekdays, now has a long queue at the door. The place is so packed that someone is at the door to ensure that people only come in when someone else walks out. 

Groups mingle as a speaker turns on and off somewhere. One of the groups that was playing flunky ball is now sitting at a table playing cards. Outside, where the temperature is more comfortable, the queue is only getting longer.

Neighbourhood Day feels like a combination of a tour de chambre, an IBB festival, and a treasure hunt. It certainly had De Uithof buzzing today. The label 'problem neighbourhood' may even apply to Science Park on other days, but today it certainly did not. On a day like this, one cannot help but wonder how the neighbourhood might evolve.