Veishea officials say they hope the opening and closing ceremonies of this year’s student-run celebration will be well-received by the Iowa State and Ames communities.

Veishea officially kicks off Friday, with the opening ceremonies being held near the Campanile at 5 p.m.

Joanna Vartabedian, Veishea special events coordinator, said the opening ceremonies will be exciting.

“Veishea scholars will be announced, and the Veishea Voyage runners will be introduced,” said Vartabedian, senior in transportation and logistics. “The Veishea torch will also be lit at this time.”

The guest speaker is women’s basketball head coach Bill Fennelly, whose team made it to the NCAA Elite Eight in March for the first time in ISU history.

His team also will make an appearance for the opening ceremonies.

The New Beginnings Gospel Choir will perform, and Veishea Central Committee Co-Chairs Scott DeSotel and Aimee Lee will address the crowd during the opening ceremonies, said Tonia Hesse, Veishea public relations co-chairwoman.

Hesse, senior in dairy science, said she expects the opening ceremonies to last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour.

Veishea officially ends with the closing ceremonies, which will be held Sunday on central campus near the Campanile.

The closing ceremonies will begin at 3 p.m. and will be shorter than the opening ceremonies.

“At the closing ceremonies, the float winners for the parade will be announced and awarded and so will the Veishea Village winners,” Hesse said.

Both Hesse and Vartabedian said they expect good turnouts for this year’s opening and closing ceremonies.

“I expect a great turnout for the ceremonies, and I think Veishea will be very fun,” Vartabedian said.