The first carnival held on the University of Minnesota campus was in the spring of 1913; the All-University Circus was set up to raise money for the construction of a men's building. The annual Campus Carnival was established at the University of Minnesota in 1947 as a student scholarship fundraising event. From its inception, the Campus Carnival was an event organized and executed by the University's Greek system.
In the mid 1970s, the "Carni" began to raise funds to benefit charities, such as the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association and the Minnesota Society for Crippled Children, instead of student scholarships. During the 1980s, the University of Minnesota Campus Carnival was billed as the largest student fundraising activity in the country, earning between $35,000 and $50,000 each year for charitable organizations. In 1988, the Greek societies at the University pulled their support from the carnival and it was shut down by the University in 1990. Other student activities have replaced the Campus Carnival, including Rites of Spring and Spring Jam.
From the guide to the Campus Carnival records, 1980s, (University of Minnesota Libraries. University of Minnesota Archives [uarc])
