Students, faculty and staff take advantage of the great weather to attend the Annual Mirthweek Carnival last Wednesday afternoon outside the Millennium Student Center and Recreation and Wellness Center. The event, organized by the Office of Student Involvement and University Program Board, featured food, rides, games and prizes. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)

Members of the University of Missouri–St. Louis community took a break from the stress of the end of the spring semester and had some fun last Wednesday as one of UMSL’s oldest traditions, the Mirthweek Carnival, returned to campus.

The weather cooperated with sunny skies and warm temperatures on an otherwise damp week in the St. Louis region.

The lawn outside the Recreation and Wellness Center was lined with booths offering opportunities to play different carnival games, like skee ball, bottle toss or inflatable pop-a-shot. There was a caricature artist and balloon maker. Those looking for more of a thrill could ride the Storm or Tornado rides in the RWC parking lot or joust with one of their friends using large pads. And there were hot dogs, ice cream and Coca-Cola samples available for anyone in need of refreshment.

Mirthweek was first established on the UMSL campus in 1986 in an effort to promote campus cheer and provide a reward to students at the end of a long academic year, and the carnival has long been a highlight of festivities. The Office of Student Involvement and University Program Board take the lead in organizing the carnival and other Mirthweek activities, including last Monday’s annual Student Leadership Awards.

Campus photographer Derik Holtmann was on hand at the carnival to capture some of the fun.

Junior engineering majors Emmanuel Morgan and Kendal White battled each other in a jousting competition.

Junior accounting major Justus Meints knocks a bottle over with a beanbag while playing one of the carnival games.

Freshman biology major Zofia Reed and 2023 graduate Salena Hodges laugh as they go spinning on a ride on the Storm.

Eboni Alexander, a senior office support assistant in the Office of Health, Counseling and Disability Access Services, sits to get her caricature drawn.

Freshman history major Maura Hill shows off her new balloon hat.

View more photos from the Mirthweek Carnival or the annual Student Leadership Awards on Flickr.