For the first time, the UBC bookstore team proudly hosted the UBC Grad Garden—an outdoor celebration space at the UBC Bookstore Plaza, which welcomed thousands of graduates and their guests alongside UBC’s Spring Graduation Ceremonies (May 21 to 29, 2025).

The Grad Garden offered graduates, their families and friends a place to keep the celebration going after returning their gowns at the bookstore, all while soaking in the sunshine and having a beautiful last stop on campus.

@ubcliving Welcome to the Grad Garden — come celebrate with us! 🎓💐 Enjoy refreshments and snacks available for purchase including: ✨Pastries from @loafecafe ✨Northern Bars ✨Comeback Popcorn ✨Sugarsin Sparkling Gummies ✨Aelo Dry Cocktails ✨Partake Non-Alcoholic Beer ✨Located in the UBC 📍Bookstore Plaza, May 21st to 29th 📸Snap a photo in front of the UBC sign, enjoy refreshments, music and games. Celebrate your moment! Congratulations class of 2025! #ubcgrad #ubc #ubcvancouver #ubcbookstore #classof2025 ♬ sonido original - B.sound

Complete with photo stations—including marquee “UBC” letters and a lush green photo wall—the Grad Garden was set with picnic tables, games, and more, where graduates could soak up the sunshine with family and friends.

It also included a sales tent with refreshments and treats, along with Aelo alcohol free cocktails, snacks from Northern Bars and Comeback Snacks, and the option to purchase fresh flower bouquets, grad bears and more from the bookstore.

A vibrant and successful event

This event was a huge success, and over the nine-day celebration, which coincided with our annual Grad Sale, we sold:

1,700 grad bears
1,050 UBC water bottles
220 bouquets of flowers
Over 100 UBC x lululemon items each day during the Grad Sale

“It was wonderful to see the Bookstore Plaza transformed into a vibrant hub of celebration and community for our graduates. This is exactly the kind of space I envision for the plaza, where people can gather, celebrate and feel proud of what they’ve achieved. What a lovely send-off for the 10,000+ graduates now joining the UBC Alumni family.” — Brian Jones, Director, UBC Bookstore

Congratulations again to the Class of 2025! Thank you for making the first Grad Garden a success. We can’t wait to celebrate with you next year.