Put on the cheesiest, craziest Christmas outfit you can find, dust off your favourite song and come show the UM community your holiday spirit. Students and staff are welcome to sing on the same stage were academics and distinguished guest speakers have lectured and debated. 

The event will be streamed and the audience - both at home and in the theatre - can vote on the jolliest act of the evening. What counts is not how good you sing but how much fun you have doing it. Contestants will compete to win an Interrail pass for 2 people, a great present for under any tree.

Christmas comes but once a year, so sign up NOW and don’t miss this rare opportunity to make Maastricht University and your fellow students and colleagues proud.

Preliminary program outline:

Important information for contestants:

• Deadline of the registration is Wednesday 14 December. We cannot accept later entries. 
• Every eligible candidate can bring max two guests for moral support. You all get free drinks and food provided before (reception), during the event (breaks) and afterwards (after party).
• We want to get to know you before the big show. On Friday 16 December we will invite you to get to know the other candidates and us. We want to do a short interview and record some content for the show - so check out the dress code. There will be plenty of coffee and chocolate. 
• There will be two evenings for you to rehearse in the auditorium with the audio technicians. The preliminary rehearsal dates are: 17 and 22 December. 

Contest rules: 

• You can perform your act alone or together with one other person (solo or duet).
• If your performance includes background dancers or whatnot just let us know in advance.
• Only UM staff, BSc - MSc - PhD students and alumni are eligible to participate.
• In exceptional cases former UM staff is eligible too. But that's really for the diehards.
• The song you perform needs to be announced to us upon registration or latest 14 December.
• Dress code: A Christmas outfit that is expressive to the point of being ridiculous is the dress code. Bring your own outfit, we don’t have that many.
• Your guests also need to adhere to the dress code above. 
• Only your guests can be background dancers.

Voting procedure: 

• Online and on location audiences can vote online (wooclap) and the URL will be announced during the event.
• Karaoke is about fun but we thought you need some motivation so we have come up with a big fat prize.
• A jury composed of three distinguished nobodies also cast their votes online: The jury’s evaluation is based on:
  • The joyfulness the performance ignites
  • The originality of the song
  • The ridiculousness of the outfit
• The act who will receive the most points from the audience and jury together is the winner.
• The winner will be announced at the end of the show and receive the prize.

FAQ: 

Song and performance

Can I only perform Christmas songs? No. Absolutely not. You can choose any song of your liking.

Can I only choose english songs? No. You can sing in any language you like. In fact we would love to hear songs in languages other than English. 

What song should I sing? We don’t know this but if you need inspiration check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/c/singkingkaraoke 

Can I dance while singing? Surely. You can show us your dance moves. Please!

Can I perform my act with background dancers? Every contestant can bring two guests. If they are your background dancers, bring them on. 

Voting

Do I need to sing pitch perfect in order to win? No. Karaoke is not about copying the voice of the song. It’s about expressing yourself and having fun doing it. Jury and audience do not evaluate the technical quality of your voice but the joyfulness you have in expressing it. 

Contest rules

Can I change the song at a later moment? You have until the 14th of December to change the song.

Is the dress code required also for guests? Yes. Everyone who takes part - including the organisers - are required to adhere to the dress code. We do not provide any outfits and you are not allowed to enter the venue without one.

What is the dress code? A Christmas outfit that is expressive to the point of being ridiculous.

I don't understand the dress code? Dress to impress. Christmas is a celebration, a time for giving and not simply a day we exchange gifts. The spirit of Christmas is in the 'togetherness', it's in the thought to which you put into thinking about others, it's a selfless time, where we forgive, take stock of what's important and become 'better' versions of ourselves.

Is the audience required to sing along? Yes. Absolutely. The audience is required to sing along.