It’s here! Every year, in honor of one of the most memorable UW pranks ever pulled, we fill Bascom Hill with as many pink lawn flamingos as we can.
Want to bring the flamingo foolery home? When you give $350 or more, you’ll qualify to receive your own full-sized lawn flamingo and our new mini flamingo — or give $100 or more to qualify for just the mini.
Each gift made in support of the university during Fill the Hill adds to our “fla-mazing” flock. With more than 100 areas to support across campus, you can choose a cause that makes your heart squawk — er, sing. Help ensure that UW–Madison remains a world leader in education, research, and innovation for generations to come.
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).
