‘A very silly, very uniquely Barnard tradition’: Barnard College celebrates Big Sub’s 25th year
- Anika Bahirwani
- Nov 12, 2025
- 2 min read
The McIntosh Activities Council organized the 25th annual Big Sub, a beloved campus tradition.
Photo by Anika Bahirwani/The Barnard Bulletin
November 12, 2025
On the morning of November 7, Barnard’s McIntosh Activities Council (McAC) prepared for one of Barnard’s quirkiest annual traditions: Big Sub, when Barnard students gather on Futter Field to eat pieces of a long chain of sandwiches.
“It’s always the opening note of the year, tradition-wise,” McAC President Vasia Tassiopoulo (BC ’26) told The Barnard Bulletin. “It’s a very silly, very uniquely Barnard tradition. I know other schools have something sort of like [Barnard’s] Midnight Breakfast, but I haven’t heard of another thing like Big Sub before.”
Big Sub originated in the fall semester of 2000, but according to Barnard’s website, no one has pinpointed exactly when or why the event began. McAC celebrated Big Sub’s 25th anniversary by holding a merch drop in the Quad and giving away blue hats displaying this year’s Big Sub logo, which was designed by McAC Communications Coordinator Unaisah Ahmed (BC ’27).
As Tassiopoulo pointed out, holding Big Sub events on campus spaces outside of Futter Field marked a return to “the traditional Big Sub structure,” in which the sandwich would stretch across campus from the Quad to Milbank Hall. Last year, construction was limited to only Futter Field.
“We jumped straight into Big Sub once we got elected for our positions,” said Tassiopoulo. “It’s a lot of communicating with dining staff about the type of sandwiches being made; it’s a lot of deciding what merch is going to look like with our communications coordinator.”
McAC placed couches and picnic blankets on Futter Field, encouraging students to spend time at the community event instead of simply taking a sandwich and leaving. “Allowing people to come, sit, and eat their sandwich is a big thing we wanted to include,” said Tassiopoulo.
First-year students expressed their excitement for their first-ever Big Sub. “I’m excited to see the Barnard community come together,” stated Sangam Bhati (BC ’29).
Students gathered on the walkway from Barnard Hall to the Diana Center to stand by the sandwich variety they wanted to try. “I’m really excited to eat all the yummy subs and to have fun!” said Louise Wang (BC ’29).
Photo by Karissa Song/The Barnard Bulletin
The options included grilled vegetables, chicken, turkey and roast beef, as well as kosher and gluten-free choices. This year, the sandwiches took 25 people eight days of planning to create and used more than 300 pounds of meat, 140 pounds of tomatoes, 80 pounds of lettuce, and 120 pounds of grilled vegetables. As soon as the McAC executive board counted down “Three, two, one, Big Sub!” students grabbed their sandwiches and chips, joining friends across the field.
Students lingered on Futter Field, chatting and sharing bites of their sandwiches. The 25th anniversary of Big Sub highlighted both Barnard’s commitment to tradition and the community spirit that continues to bring students together each year.