On Tuesday, September 30, 2025, the UPJŠ dormitories at Medická Street in Košice came alive with music, dance, and sports. WelcomeFest offered students a varied program that included music, competitions, a sports run, and charity.
The event, which took place from 3:30Pm to 9:30PM, was hosted by members of the Košice Student Radio (ŠtuRKo) Christofer Horňák and Mikuláš Marko, who provided information about the event, organized numerous competitions, and made many humorous remarks.
At the beginning of the festival, the Hornád Folk Ensemble got the audience singing and dancing. After an energetic czardas from Pozdišovce, they held a “dance school” where they taught students the steps of the traditional “Skákaná” from Šarišské Jastrabie. Their spirited performance warmed up the audience in the cold weather and set a good atmosphere for the rest of the program.
Concurrently with the Hornád performance, the UPJŠ RUN started in the nearby parking lot of the East Slovak Institute of Heart and Vascular Diseases in the presence of UPJŠ Rector Prof. MUDr. Daniel Pella, PhD. and Košice Mayor Jaroslav Polaček. The five-kilometer running route led through the city to the dormitory complex, and Marián Zimmermann was the first to complete it with a time of 14:37 min. More about the run.
Each runner received a participation medal, and after the results were announced, the winners were decorated right in the center of the festival.
WelcomeFest was opened with a speech by Prof. MUDr. Daniel Pella, PhD., Rector of UPJŠ, in the presence of Dr. h. c. Prof. Mgr. Slávka Tomaščíková, PhD., Vice-Rector for International Relations, and JUDr. Ľudmila Elbert, PhD., university professor, Vice-Rector for Undergraduate and Lifelong Learning. The ceremonial welcome was also attended by UPJŠ RUN co-organizers, JUDr. Lukáš Michaľov PhD. and Pavol Kopaničák, as well as the CEO of the East Slovak Institute of Heart and Vascular Diseases, a.s. MUDr. Štefan Lukačín, PhD. MHA, and the director of the Children’s Faculty Hospital, MUDr. Andrej KOMAN, MBA.
The Rector and director of the Children’s Faculty Hospital praised the charitable aspect of the run organized by the Coctail Pace civic association. Thanks to the entry fees and sponsorship contributions, €3,434 was raised for the Children’s Faculty Hospital in Košice, which will be used to make Christmas more enjoyable for young patients.
After the race, participants enjoyed a raffle with attractive prizes, including a voucher for a flight from Košice Airport and a weekend rental of an X-PENG electric car. The program culminated with a performance by the band Basawell, whose members warmed up the crowd in the cold weather, and DJ Semir finished the evening ended.
Refreshment and student associations and partners stands were present as well. The Košice Medical Students’ Association and the Slovak Dental Students’ Association presented their activities to students and runners. Preventative measurements were offered by the L. Pasteur University Hospital in Košice. Staff from its Institute of Sports Medicine monitored the fitness of the runners and other fans of the university run and WelcomeFest could also take use of preventive measurements of blood pressure, blood sugar, abdominal fat, BMI, and other parameters. The stand of the Košice Region Innovation Center with the YESlab project also attracted attention. YESlab offers students the chance to win up to €5,000 to develop their own ideas and is an opportunity to turn a good idea into a successful startup while still in college.
WelcomeFest 2025 attracted around a thousand participants to the Medická 6 campus and showed that the combination of music, entertainment, and sports can create a unique atmosphere. UPJŠ students can now look forward to other similar events organized to spice up their demanding studies.
