Inside the festival's My Virtual Dream tent, participants' brain waves are transformed into a panorama of colors, sights and sounds, creating a multisensory experience for observers. Steve Zylius / UCI

As 50th anniversary parties go, this one was golden.

UCI’s Festival of Discovery, a daylong celebration of good health, great art, global impact and innovation had Aldrich Park hopping Saturday, Oct. 3, from the 7 a.m. badge pickup for the Family Fun Run to the closing of the last booth after 3 p.m.

Here’s a by-the-numbers tally of the day:

10,000: Preliminary estimate of attendees
2,400: Cupcakes handed out to the crowd in honor of UCI’s 50th birthday
1,500: Shaken Shakespeare performances enacted
802: Racers who signed up for the Anteater 5K & Family Fun Run
40: Seats in the My Virtual Dream tent sponsored by the School of Medicine and Department of Neurology (There were more than 80 people in line at one point.)
12: Hours by which the event escaped the rain
Inestimable: Memories created

  1. alt placeholder UCI students Shantell Nolan (in chicken suit) and Timothy Ma (right) finish Saturday's Anteater 5K, part of UCI's Festival of Discovery. Steve Zylius / UCI
  2. alt placeholder Runners take part in the Anteater 5K, which kicked off UCI's Festival of Discovery, celebrating the campus's 50th anniversary. Steve Zylius / UCI
  3. alt placeholder Festival attendees help themselves to cupcakes in Aldrich Park. About 2,400 of the tasty treats were consumed. Steve Zylius / UCI
  4. alt placeholder Vijay Ramakrishnan '06 tries out some robotic technology from UCI's iMove lab. Steve Zylius / UCI
  5. alt placeholder Grasshopper tacos made by visiting eco-chef Roger Feely were a big hit at the Festival of Discovery. Steve Zylius / UCI
  6. alt placeholder Children navigate an inflatable representation of a cancer cell. Steve Zylius / UCI
  7. alt placeholder Student Vanessa Lopez squeezes some lime juice into her healthy, fruit-and-vegetable smoothie at the Festival of Discovery. Steve Zylius / UCI
  8. alt placeholder Darryl Taylor '98 uses a virtual reality app at an exhibit hosted by UCI's School of Social Sciences. Steve Zylius / UCI
  9. alt placeholder Inside the festival's My Virtual Dream tent, participants' brain waves are transformed into a panorama of colors, sights and sounds, creating a multisensory experience for observers. Steve Zylius / UCI