While McGill classes officially begin on Aug. 31 this year, students can plunge into the upcoming semester a little earlier: Rad Frosh 2026 is happening from Aug. 28 to 30! Organized by McGill’s Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG-McGill), the three-day orientation promises students a chance to indulge in good causes—as well as good food.
Rad Frosh 2026’s theme “Partake in the Thread” focuses on allowing students to not only learn about, but also participate in driving societal change. In a written statement to The Tribune, Cecelia Callaghan, QPIRG-McGill & Rad Frosh Coordinator, explained that the coordinating team chose the theme to honour the forces at work behind the scenes of political action and movements.
“So much thought, time, and labour goes into feeding mouths, cleaning lecture halls, healing wounds, and educating ourselves and one another,” Callaghan wrote. “We wanted a theme that reflected the numerous and often unseen ways in which political movements are sustained by the community they represent and reside within [….] The phrase ‘Partake in the Thread’ urges us all to not only contribute to this effort in any manner we can, but also to recognize that there is no single way of contributing, and that there are many people to thank for our ability to take action that we may never meet.”
Callaghan also urged students to hop outside of the ‘McGill bubble’ and examine wider social injustices—a focus of Rad Frosh.
“It can be easy to feel like McGill is your whole world while juggling five courses, clubs, associations, and whatnot, but it was very important to me while crafting the Rad Frosh schedule that students could find ways to get involved and [be] aware of the broader communities and cultures in which we reside,” she noted.
Formerly, Midnight Kitchen (MK), a McGill food accessibility organization, was in charge of catering food for Rad Frosh attendees. However, following its abrupt closure in October 2025, Rad Frosh is now seeking volunteers who will prepare meals for attendees alongside former staff of MK. Callaghan highlighted how such a collective action-based initiative commemorates MK’s longer-term goal of ending food insecurity.
“At first we considered getting all the food [served at Rad Frosh] catered [;] however [,] not only would the cost be very difficult to fit into our budget, but we also wanted to honour the Midnight Kitchen ethos of addressing food insecurity from a community-centered approach,” she wrote. “Addressing food insecurity is always about more than feeding mouths [.] In order to have an enduring impact[,] sustainable practices, community involvement, and co-operative practices must be honoured as well.”
Across its three-day programming, Rad Frosh attendees will be able to participate in workshops addressing the violence endured by Palestinian political prisoners, as well as the Kanien’keha:ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers)’ ongoing legal battle against McGill University.
In addition, Rad Frosh will present a screening of True North, a documentary film that sheds light on the 1969 student protests against racism at Sir George Williams University. After the screening, the director of the film Michèle Stephenson will host a Q&A session.
Callaghan emphasized that incoming students must be attentive to the broader political struggles that Montreal and the McGill community face. Amid tightening McGill security measures, Rad Frosh programming aims to inform students of the “enduring product of colonial violence and power being enacted” in the McGill milieu through informative neighbourhood tours, communal meals, and live performances. For students looking to get involved in the Montreal community as soon as possible, Rad Frosh offers more than a traditional Frosh: a greater opportunity to learn, connect, and ease into a new chapter with purpose.
Interested McGill students may sign up for Rad Frosh here. Standard tickets are available at $80 CAD, alongside some Flex ticket options.