Rafting down the River on Trump

The event is hosted by the Uppsala Union of Engineering and Science Students, and it has changed a lot since the 1970s.
– It’s getting bigger and bigger each year. This year there was a record number of applicants with over 700 people trying to get a spot on one of 120 rafts, says director of marketing Ylva Kjellgren
Eager rafters apply months in advance for a place on the river. Anyone who is over 18 years old, sober, and wearing the proper safety equipment is welcome to join a team. Team spots are raffled out and then, in the last week of April, the fun begins.
Before Valborg officially starts, the organizing committee hosts a festival from April 24th to 28th at Ångströmslaboratioret. The River Festival includes live music, stand-up comedy, food, and the chance to see the rafts in progress.
– Many people describe it as the high point of the spring, at least on this campus. It’s a nice start to the Valborg celebration, says project manager Felix Brunnstedt, though he notes that a lot of students at other campuses are not aware of the event.
The festival area is right next to the building area, where rafters spend the week preparing to hit the water. Teams of two to four people have a week to build their rafts, using duct tape, Styrofoam and wood provided by the organizers. Brunnstedt says he has seen some interesting designs over the years, including a Donald Trump-themed raft, and one carved to look like a miniature Uppsala.
– Some people are very, very ambitious and some are just happy to be there, says Ylva Kjellgren,
Rafts must be a certain size and height to fit under the bridges, and everything used to make the rafts must float, except for the nails.

On April 29th, the rafts will be transported to the starting point at Eddaspången and prepared for their maiden voyage down the Fyrisån the next morning. Bright and early on April 30th, the participants will eat breakfast together before donning their helmets and life jackets and getting into their rafts.
Starting at 10:00, the Uppsala Union of Science and Technology Students’ raft will lead the way from Eddaspången to Islandsbron, over both sets of falls and through the centre of Uppsala. After the first set of falls, Ylva Kjellgren says, some of the rafts will fall apart but most make it to the end. It’s plenty of fun to watch, either way.
Felix Brunnstedt participated in the rafting in 2014.
– I thought it was fun but I was quite scared. I didn’t know what to expect, and I don’t like water that much, he says.
Luckily, his raft survived until the end of the route.

The event is organized by a committee of Science and Technology students and several hundred volunteers. This year, the event has been eco-certified for the first time. Ylva Kjellgren says the committee has taken steps like reusing parts of old rafts to make the event more sustainable – something they hope future organizers will continue.
Get there early if you want a good place to watch, advise Felix Brunnstedt and Ylva Kjellgren, as approximately 40,000 people spectators come each year to cheer on the rafters and kick off the Valborg weekend.