Get ready for Raisin – sustainably!
Raisin is a beloved academic family tradition unique to the University of St Andrews, and has changed a lot over the years. The University aims to to minimise the environmental impact while maximising the enjoyment across St Andrews.
This year, Raisin Weekend takes place Sunday 19 and Monday 20 October 2025.
Pre-Raisin
Costumes and decorations
- Keep costumes simple and avoid buying new – use pre-loved and second-hand materials
- Bond as a family by DIY-ing your Raisin outfits!
- Visit St AndReuse for free decorations, £1 clothes, and creative inspiration! Open Wednesday evenings (5pm to 6pm), Friday lunchtimes (12pm to 2pm), and the last Saturday of the month (10:30am to 12pm) at the back of University Hall.
Some easy DIY Raisin outfits:
- Where’s Wally? – a black and white stripy t-shirt, drawn-on glasses and red or white beanie.
- Crayola Crayons – rainbow t-shirts, DIY Crayola signs.
- Condiments (ketchup, mayo, mustard, burger sauce, etc.) – coloured t-shirts and DIY paper heinz sign to stick on.
- Playing cards – white t-shirts with red and black washable fabric marker designs.
- Teletubbies – t-shirts for each colour and DIY wire headbands.
- Seven Dwarves – green t-shirts and fabric marker labels with white pillowcases.
- Ompa Loompas – green temporary hair dye and orange face paint.
- Peppa Pig – a British classic! T-shirts for each member of the pig family, pink face paint, and draw on pig noses.
- Aliens – purple t-shirts, green face paint and tinfoil hats (recycle after!)
- Corona bottles – yellow t-shirts, draw label with fabric marker, paint cardboard hats as bottle caps.
Raisin Sunday
Beaches and bonfires
- Do not use wooden pallets with nails for bonfires. If left in the sand, these can get buried, harming people and wildlife who come across them.
- Try not to break any glass and leave no litter.
Scavenger Hunts
- Remind your kids to pick up food bank donations as their Raisin Receipt – make it part of the hunt!
- Be respectful of noise and other town residents.
Games
- Find free/cheap toys from St AndReuse and charity shops. Give toys as prizes and family keepsakes to your kids.
- For germs: soak them in a bowl of warm water with some laundry powder, rinse, wring out, and hang them up to dry.
- Use leftover cardboard (e.g. move-in boxes) as game materials:
- Construct a board game: have your kids come up with penalties and decorate your cardboard together. Life-size snakes and ladders anyone?
- Play the cereal box game: have your kids try and pick up a cereal box using only their mouths (hands behind back, only feet allowed to touch the floor). Keep ripping strips off it and see how low your kids can go!
- Play ‘What’s in the box?‘: have your kids guess what you’ve put inside without looking.
Food
- Choosing plant-based or vegetarian snacks and meals for your family events can be cheaper and more sustainable.
- Lunch ideas include:
- Vegan protein and tomato and vegetable pasta – a staple meal, especially if your kids are drinking!
- Quorn nuggets and oven chips
- Lentil curry and rice
- Pizza (vegan cheese + toppings)
- Mexican bean chilli
- Snack ideas:
- Hummus and bread/carrot sticks
- Salsa and tortilla chips
- Salted or spicy edamame
- You can find plenty of inspiration online for vegan and vegetarian party food ideas.
Raisin Monday
Raisin Receipt
- Raisin Receipts – the appreciation gifts from academic children to their parents (traditionally raisins) – are now donations for Campus Larder and Storehouse St Andrews.
- Bring your Receipt to the foam fight entrance at Lower College Lawn on Monday 20 October.
- Last year, we donated five large boxes to the food bank! We would like to increase the donation amount this year. We welcome donations from community and University staff members.
- Consider donating Fairtrade goods if you can!
Donations most needed by Storehouse:
- UHT milk.
- Toilet roll.
- Baked beans.
- Tinned meats.
- Custard.
- Rice pudding.
- Washing up liquid.
- Jams.
Foam fight
- You can bring in two foam cans.
- Remove the caps and recycle them at the entry point.
- Make sure your costume is safe for entry. Leave sharp items, string/rope, balloons, large cardboard pieces, and valuables at home to avoid confiscation (or losing your grandma’s ring!)
- After the fight, please take your cans with you and recycle them. It saves us a lot of time and effort in the clear up!
Volunteers
- Interested in the action but not in getting foamy? We are seeking people to help us set up, run, and clear up the foam fight.
- Let us know through [email protected] if you can help out at any point!
Post-Raisin
Recycling
- Correctly recycle your plastics, paper, cardboard, cans, and food waste.
- Arrange a collection for leftover glass from Green Start or take it to your nearest Fife Council recycling point.
Repurpose decorations
- Make the lifespan of your decorations go beyond Raisin Weekend.
- Reuse cups, tablecloths, banners, and other items at birthdays, society events, and house parties (the list goes on!)
Repurpose costumes
- Wash and incorporate the elements of your costume in your day-to-day wardrobe.
- Upcycle the items into something you will use.
- Save/swap with a friend for your Halloween costume at the end of the month!
- If you really don’t want to keep your outfit, donate it to charity rather than bin it.