The premiere Summer event is nearly here - the Summer Alumni and Student Welcome Picnic. 

This event brings together current Cal students, Alumni, and incoming students and their families for a casual, relaxed BBQ lunch in Potomac Maryland. If you're an incoming student, this event is free to you and your family! Come to meet other incoming students, and ask your last minute questions to current students and alumni. A free event, what could be better!

Alumni please join to see your Cal friends, and make new ones! Bring a guest or another Cal alum to join in the fun. 

We will have a BBQ lunch, including food from Berkeley's own Top Dog restaurant on the grill. There will be options for vegetarians as well.  

If you're available to volunteer at the event, please contact Colleen Parent at [email protected]. We have lots of fun volunteering and bringing this event to the DC Community. Show our new students what Cal is all about!

Please indicate your attendance using one of the options below. Alumni ticket prices will be higher at the door:

For alumni, please purchase a ticket. Prices are: 

• Alumni dues paying club members - $20
• Alumni non-dues paying club members - $30
• Children - $10
• You may also make an optional donation to our Leadership Scholarship Fund in increments of $25. 

Tickets at the door will be $25 for dues paying club members, and $35 for non-dues paying club members. 

A portion of each paid ticket will be added to our Alumni Leadership Scholarship Fund. This scholarship is open to students eligible for Pell Grants, and provide up to 4 years of financial support to applicants with visionary, inspirational, and innovation leadership skills who make a difference in their communities.

You may also donate directly to this scholarship fund using the following link: DC Alumni Leadership Scholarship Fund.

Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted.   

For incoming and current students: 

Please use the attached Google Form to indicate if you plan to attend: Students Sign Up Here

We look forward to seeing you at this event! 

If you would like to volunteer to help with the picnic, please contact Colleen Parent at [email protected]

Summer is here! Join your fellow Golden Bear alumni for a refreshing beverage during our July Happy Hour!

When: Thursday July 23, 6-8 pm (Happy hour specials until 7 pm)

Where: Shaw's Tavern, 520 Florida Avenue NW (closest Metro is Shaw/Howard University Station on the Green line)

Who: Cal Bear alumni and friends!

Hope to see you there! and Go Bears! 

If you missed the May Culture Club, here is another chance to view the unique murals of the building before the government sells it!

We will get a guided tour with Cal alum Nick Hartigan, who will take us through the historical murals in the building which were a product of the WPA arts programs. 

You must sign up no later than July 30th via this form: Wilbur Cohen Culture Club August 3 Tour. Other sign up instructions: 

• You will need to individually sign up for yourself or someone that will accompany you.

• DO NOT enter the names of multiple persons. Sign up for only one person at a time.

• Enter your first and last name exactly as they appear on your READ-ID compliant photo ID (i.e. a driver's license that says REAL ID, or a passport). No nicknames.

• The tour is limited to 20 participants (the first 20 people to sign up).

• DEADLINE FOR SIGNING UP - JULY 30, 2026

Enter the building on the South side, along C Street SW. Proceed to the security desk and tell them you are here for a GSA art tour. 

In order to enter the building, you will need to bring a REAL ID compliant driver's license or passport. 

Please ensure there is enough time for security screening and entry, and the tour lasts an hour and we will be on foot and walking during this time. 

Other notes: 

•  There is no public parking at the Cohen Building. There are garages and street parking in the area, which are subject to availability. 

• The Federal Center Southwest Metro stop is closest to the building. 

• The building is accessible. Please contact us if you have any questions about accessibility ([email protected]). 

• Photography: you may take photos of the artworks, but not people or office spaces. 

We will have an optional lunch after the tour for anyone who is interested. Hope to see you there! Go Bears! 

Skip the crowds at Monet’s water garden in Giverny (and it’s too hot in France right now anyway)! Join with other Cal DC Alumni and friends on a ranger-led tour of the National Park Service's Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.  

Located in far northeast Washington DC, the gardens are a unique component of the National Park system devoted to the propagation and display of aquatic plants such as exotic water lilies and lotus. July and August are peak times to view the stunning sea of pink lotus flowers and the massive Victoria water lilies. The Gardens were begun as the hobby of a Civil War veteran and operated for 26 years as a commercial water garden.

In 1938, the Gardens were purchased by the Federal Government. 

The tour will take about an hour and cover one mile on level unpaved paths plus a boardwalk. We will meet our ranger tour-guide at the Visitor Center. There is no cost for this event. There will be an optional group lunch at a nearby restaurant following the tour. 

What: Ranger-led tour of the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens 
When: 11AM, Saturday, August 15, 2026 
Where:  1550 Anacostia Ave NE, Washington, DC 20019 

Parking: There is free parking at the main entrance of the gardens. There is additional parking 
adjacent to the gardens on Anacostia Avenue.  

Sign Up: Use this link to sign up: Kenilworth Garden Sign Up

Hope to see you there! 

Go Bears! 

On Saturday October 31st (game time TBA) Cal will be playing the NC Wolfpack in Raleigh North Carolina.

For any Bears who want to go to the game and sit as a group in the Cal section, please use the ticket link below to purchase your game tickets: NC State Group Ticket Purchase.

We will coordinate with local alumni and those travelling from California on any pre-game tailgate or festivities. If you plan on attending the game, please email Colleen Parent ([email protected]) so you can be notified of any future plans. 

Go Bears!

Cal will be playing UVA in Charlottesville for a football game not to be missed! The game will be on Saturday November 14, game time TBA. 

If you'd like to join your fellow alumni in the Cal section, please purchase tickets here: UVA Football Group Ticket Purchase

Please let Colleen know if you plan to attend, so we can coordinate a tailgate or other event prior to the game. I will also keep you updated if Cal Athletics decides to host a tailgate for this game. 

Hope to see you there when Cal beats the Cavaliers! Go Bears!