3,334 Gifts

$511,877

3,334 Gifts

$511,877 Raised

Flamingos on Bascom Hill

3,334 Gifts

$511,877 Raised

The flamingos have flown away …

… but they’ll be back in 2025! Didn’t get your gift in before the buzzer? That’s ok! You can still make your gift below. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make Fill the Hill 2024 such a fun, successful day of support for the UW. We couldn’t have done it without you! It’s because of proud Badgers everywhere (and Badgers at heart!) that the UW can keep moving forward. 

The Hilarious History of Fill the Hill

As the 1979–80 school year was about to begin, members of the now-famous Pail and Shovel Party came up with an idea: to welcome incoming students (and give them a preview of the silly side of college life) with a sea of 1,008 pink plastic flamingos on Bascom Hill. Why 1,008? Because they wanted to say they put out “more than a thousand” and the flamingos only came in packs of 12.

In 2023, former Pail and Shovel president Jim Mallon ’79 and party member Stu Baker ’80 shared the story of how that absurd idea led to an iconic moment that is re-created every year with the Fill the Hill event, sponsored by the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA).