There’s no need to panic, but whether you’re new to Champaign-Urbana or a townie, be aware: The University of Illinois students are returning to school on Monday.
Unlike many years, University of Illinois students will start spring semester classes before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Classes typically resume the day after MLK Day but because the holiday falls late this year — Jan. 21 — students will be back in session on Monday, Jan. 14.
To show how rare this is, it hasn’t happened since January 2013 (yes, we looked). And it won’t happen again until presumably January of 2030. The pattern is that if MLK Jr. Day falls on January 21, the spring semester will start the week before that. The University of Illinois has published calendars through 2027-2028, and in all of those years, spring semester resumes the day the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Why does all of this matter? Because if you’re running errands this weekend, you might run into a crowded landscape. Many grocery and retail stores — Target in particular — see a spike in customers in the days leading up to the resumption of classes. In August, for example, it is not unusual to see empty store shelves a few days before U of I classes begin. Especially, stuff that students like (think chips).
While students may be going back to school on Monday, Champaign-Urbana will start to get crowded again this weekend (looking for fun? See our planner).
Looking for something to do on MLK Day? Want to know if something is open or closed on MLK Day?
As if you needed more competition to obtain your bread and milk, forecasters — as of now, anyway — are expecting snow this weekend.
All of which is good news for, say, Meijer. But not-so-great news for the rest of us.
Check out our Weekend Planner for fun activities this weekend!