UNC football triumphed over the Georgia State Panthers 59-17 in a home matchup on Sept. 11, 2021. The match was the Tar Heels' first home game of the season and the first home football game at full capacity since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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SmallFest took place over several days the week of Aug. 30, and countless student organizations showed up to recruit new members. Bustling crowds, tables, posters and free stuff flooded the Pit and its surrounding area. SmallFest replaced UNC's similar annual festival, FallFest, due to rain the night that FallFest was scheduled to occur. As first-years and some sophomores alike come to campus for the first time, SmallFest was a bountiful induction into the extracurricular side of campus.
Over the weekend, British electronic/pop band Glass Animals performed at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro — a last minute addition to the group's North American Dreamland tour, which is kicking off this week. After not performing for over a year, Glass Animals were eager to get back on stage, and it showed, as their electric energy could be felt all throughout the crowd. Fans matched that energy by singing along and dancing to the upbeat songs. Closing with a performance of their hit song, "Heat Waves," a song that peaked 19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, fans left energized with the return of live music.
On Thursday, June 24, 2021, community members gathered in Carrboro for the Pride Food Truck Rodeo and Dance Party.
On June 25, 2021, the UNC Black Student Movement hosted a demonstration in support of journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones who was denied tenure by the UNC Board of Trustees. During the demonstrations, members of the Black Student Movement spoke of a list of demands directed at Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and the UNC Board of Trustees. Some of the 13 demands include diversifying the Board, a permanent memorial for James Cates and granting Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure.
The inaugural Chapel Hill-Carrboro Juneteenth celebration took place on June 18 and 19. The event was a joint effort between the two towns and local organizations, including the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP and the Marian Cheek Jackson Center, to celebrate Black community and culture. Juneteenth — a portmanteau of June 19 — commemorates the end to slavery in the United States. Though the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on Jan. 1, 1863, the practice of slavery was not officially abolished until the summer of 1895. The holiday originated in Texas following the end of the Civil War. This weekend's festivities included the Buy Black campaign, a motorcade through historic Black neighborhood and musical performances from Triangle-based artists.
On April 24th, UNC football took the Kenan Stadium field for the first time in 2021 for its annual Spring exhibition game.
With rain washing away the annual cloud of pollen, the weather warming and the administration of over 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, North Carolinians embrace the onset of a new season with open arms.
UNC men's basketball faced off against Duke at home at the Smith Center on Saturday, March 6, 2021. UNC finished their season with a sweep of the Duke team, defeating them 91-73. The game also served as senior night for Garrison Brooks, Walker Miller, KJ Smith, and Andrew Platek and marked the Tar Heels as the sixth seed in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C.
After less than two weeks on campus, UNC announced all undergraduate classes would be moving to a remote format, leading to many students moving out of their on-campus dorms.
