Derby Days, a St. Thomas student tradition, are returning to their pre-pandemic normal at Canterbury Park on May 7.

“It’s the best weekend of the year,” junior Sean Ryan said.

Canterbury Park’s website states that Derby Days is “the largest Kentucky Derby party in Minnesota.” The Shakopee, Minnesota, establishment will have a live stream of the Kentucky Derby, a red carpet for photo opportunities, a best dressed competition and live music.

According to a staff member, while Canterbury Park did host Derby Days last year, the event was still limited due to stricter pandemic restrictions.

“I think with the nice weather, and after COVID, people are really itching to get outside and do something fun this year,” junior Solange Vang said.

“It’s kind of like a rite of passage at St. Thomas,” senior Brynn Wilson said. “There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of buzz around it.”

While many students attend the event at Canterbury Park, many simply dress up, get outside and party with friends.

“It’s interesting to see all the life off campus,” Ryan said. “You don’t really see that many people walking around on a normal day – or weekend even. Just driving around, (during Derby Days) you see students everywhere.”

“It feels like all of St. Thomas is outside on Derby Days,” Vang said.

Along with the fun, St. Thomas’ Sigma Chi Fraternity has historically capitalized on Derby Days by planning fundraising events around the same time of the year.

“Sigma Chi has had this thing called Derby Days for decades,” said Todd Larson, Sigma Chi’s St. Thomas chapter advisor. “I don’t know if anyone truly knows when and where it started … probably the 1940s, if not even older, where schools started doing some sort of event to raise money.”

St. Thomas Sigma Chi president Max Karas said that, this year, the fraternity’s Derby Days fundraising will include promoting social media bingo boards and hosting a “pie a brother” event on Saturday, May 14 at John P. Monahan Plaza. Money raised will be given to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Abby Kielty can be reached at kiel6046@stthomas.edu.