Use of Stanford's Main Quad, Memorial Court, Oval, White Plaza and Other Designated Outdoor Event Spaces

Policy Summary

The Main Quad and Memorial Court are protected academic spaces at Stanford reserved primarily for official university ceremonies and limited everyday uses like walking or class gatherings, with most other activities restricted to preserve their historic and academic character. Strict policies prohibit commercial activity, demonstrations, amplified sound, vehicles, posting materials, and other disruptions, with rare exceptions granted only in extraordinary cases.

Policy Statement

The Quad and Memorial Court

The Main Quadrangle (aka “Quad”) and Memorial Court are part of Stanford University's academic preserve. This space includes all sidewalks, steps, gateways and pathways that border and provide entrance and exit pathways to this important university historical area. Due to its location, at the heart of the Stanford campus, and to protect and enhance its historic status, university policy limits activities in this area to established or traditional university ceremonies and events.

Stanford University is private property, and the Main Quad, Memorial Court areas, and its entrances and pathways represent the formal academic image of the University, leading directly to its departments, classrooms and other academic space, faculty and graduate student offices.

Established major university ceremonies and events that are held in the Main Quad and Memorial Court include those related to: New Student Orientation, Family Weekend, Admit Weekend, Commencement Weekend, Reunion Homecoming, and the Founders’ Celebration related events.

The Main Quad is considered a pedestrian zone and appropriate use of its space includes walking, reading, and other limited use of the area such as academic class gatherings.

Activities such as spontaneous gatherings, demonstrations, rallies, dances, performances, flyer distribution, and any use of amplified sound should take place in alternative locations, such as White Plaza, East Oval Grove or other nearby designated outdoor event spaces.

Other general usage requirements and restrictions

Weddings and memorials are not allowed in this area but may, under certain circumstances and subject to prior approval, take place inside Stanford’s Memorial Church.
Commercial and wedding-related photography is strictly prohibited on the university campus and the Main Quad area in particular.
Commercial filming without prior permission is prohibited.
The buildings in and around the Main Quad are offices and classrooms and are not open to the public.
Posting of signs, banners, distribution of flyers, chalking and any advertisement, commercial or otherwise, are prohibited in or around the Main Quad, its entrances, buildings, arcades or brick grounds throughout the area.
Structural displays are not permitted.
Vehicles are not permitted; only motorized service vehicles with university authorization may enter open areas.
No drones or unmanned flying vehicles of any kind are allowed without prior approval from the university.
No sound over 65 decibels is allowed, including amplified sound, without prior approval from the university.
Cooking of any kind is strictly prohibited without official permission.
The arcades must remain clear and open except with prior approval from the university.
Riding a bicycle or skateboard is prohibited in the Main Quad, its arcades, and the Memorial Court. Bicycle and skateboard parking is also prohibited in these spaces. See the Main Quad Bike Rack Map for parking locations.
Overnight camping and structures are not allowed, as with the rest of campus under the Camping Policy.
Smoking near campus buildings and entrances is prohibited.
Please note that campus restrooms are not available for tour group use.

The Oval

The Oval is the official entrance to the Stanford University campus. Given its historic and aesthetic significance, Stanford University maintains this outdoor space and endeavors to balance preservation of its beauty and environmental integrity with activities that contribute to campus life.

The Oval represents a main doorway into the activities and work of the university. The Oval leads to academic departments, classrooms and other teaching and research spaces, including faculty, staff, and graduate student offices. Activities taking place on the Oval should contribute to and support the life of the University without compromising operations.

The Oval is considered a pedestrian zone. Appropriate use of its space includes walking, jogging, reflection, and other limited recreational use of the lawn area and internal walkways–such as picnics, playing frisbee, and informal sporting events–unless or until such use causes unreasonable obstructions or damages the landscaping or other property. Campus community members may use the Oval lawn for small-scale, low-impact group activities with fewer than 50 people. Activities are allowed if they do not require equipment installation or set-up (e.g. tables, chairs, a/v, volleyball nets or goals secured by stakes). Small pieces of equipment that are temporarily placed are allowed, such as portable soccer nets, Spikeball game sets, etc.

The Office of the President may approve special requests to use the Oval and the surrounding roadway for university-approved events related to community building and well-being, and intellectual exchange. Adjacent to the Oval, the East Oval Grove furnishes a nearby outdoor event space open to Stanford affiliates for activities such as demonstrations, rallies, and dances. White Plaza and other outdoor event spaces are similarly available. See below for more specific guidelines for these locations. Weddings and memorials are not allowed in the Oval, but may take place in Stanford’s Memorial Church.

Prohibited Uses

Use of any grill/barbecue or open flame is prohibited on or around the Oval
Fireworks or the use of other incendiary devices represent a safety hazard to the area and are therefore prohibited
Sound in excess of 65 decibels, including amplified sound, that may hinder nearby university activities is also prohibited, with the exception of certain university-sponsored and officially regulated activities.
No drones or unmanned flying vehicles of any kind are allowed without prior approval from the university.

White Plaza

White Plaza has long served as a space for student activities and freedom of expression by a wide range of campus community members. There are still some rules that apply in White Plaza to ensure that the space is available on a fair basis to everyone who might want to hold an event there, to keep noise levels in a range that is not disruptive to adjacent parts of campus, and to ensure adequate staffing and safety. Those seeking to use White Plaza should consult the policies. Generally, planned events in White Plaza do require advance reservations, and events with reservations have priority.

In recognition of the fact that students, faculty, and staff may sometimes wish to gather spontaneously to express their views (for example, in response to news events), White Plaza is also one of the designated spaces on campus for such spontaneous gatherings, including protests or rallies. (East Oval Grove is another designated space for spontaneous gatherings.) This includes gatherings that may exceed 100 people and would otherwise, for that reason alone, require advance registration and permission under the Major Events Protocol. (Events that would trigger the Major Events Protocol for reasons other than size – for example, involving a high profile dignitary – must still follow the advance permission procedures required by that Protocol, whether held in White Plaza or elsewhere on campus.)

Such spontaneous gatherings must still follow all the other rules for use of the space listed on the White Plaza information page, including but not limited to:

Limitations on noise levels
Restrictions on structures and equipment (including tables, canopies, and sandwich boards)
Prohibition of camping
May not block fire lanes or impede pedestrian and bicycle traffic
Must be between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.

In addition, otherwise permissible spontaneous events that interfere with planned or reserved use of White Plaza may still run afoul of the Campus Disruption Policy.

For example, if the Farmer’s Market has reserved part of White Plaza between 10 and 2 on a Tuesday, a spontaneous protest may not take over the space they have reserved or prevent market goers from freely accessing the stalls. White Plaza is large enough that spontaneous uses will often be able to take place in another part of the Plaza.
In such circumstances, users must follow the directions of campus authorities to relocate their spontaneous gathering to another part of White Plaza or, if all parts of the Plaza are being utilized, to another suitable place on campus where it might be held without disrupting other activities at that time. All users (with reservations or not) must also follow the directions of campus authorities regarding relocating to other parts of the Plaza or other spaces on campus if necessary for safety reasons (for example, to avoid conflict between protestors and counter protestors).

Even for spontaneous gatherings in White Plaza, student organizers are strongly encouraged to work with Student Affairs Meeting Services with as much advance notice as possible to ensure compliance with campus rules and provide for adequate public safety resources on hand. Faculty and staff organizers should also work with student affairs for events in White Plaza, as responsibility for managing the Plaza resides within that office. Stanford University land is private property, and non-Stanford affiliates (e.g., the general public) may not organize events in White Plaza.

Other Designated Outdoor Event Spaces

In light of interest expressed in having more spaces beyond White Plaza available for Stanford community members to gather (including to express their views through protests or rallies) in ways that are unlikely to disrupt other campus activities, the university has now designated several additional Outdoor Event Spaces for Stanford community members (students, faculty, and staff) to use across campus, in proximity to most of the schools as well as to the center of campus. In addition to White Plaza, other outdoor spaces designated for events are:

East Oval Grove
Meyer Green
Manzanita Field
Panama Street Clearing

Visitors and non-Stanford affiliates (e.g., members of the general public) are not permitted to organize events in these spaces.

East Oval Grove, similar to White Plaza, is available for spontaneous gatherings, including protests or rallies, by Stanford affiliates without advance approval, provided that these gatherings abide by limitations on noise and other rules listed above under the White Plaza section. However, Meyer Green, Manzanita Field and the Panama Street Clearing are spaces that do require advance registration to ensure that adequate public safety and other staff are available.

You may reserve them for use by contacting the Office of Student Engagement.
At least [5] working days are typically required to plan for events in these spaces, including events that would otherwise trigger the Major Events Protocol solely because of expected attendance over 100 people. (If the event includes other criteria that would trigger the Major Events Protocol, such as serving alcohol or involving a high-profile speaker, all aspects of that policy must be followed.) If there is a time-sensitive reason for the event and more advanced planning would not have been possible (for example, there is a “breaking news” event to which people wish to respond and White Plaza is unavailable due to conflicting use), every effort will be made to accommodate reservations on shorter notice.
Access to these spaces will not be denied based on the viewpoint of speakers/participants or the content of their speech.
Organizers may be asked to postpone events to another reasonable date or consider alternative locations based on availability of event staff and safety or operational concerns.
Events in these spaces are also subject to other campus-wide rules, including:
- Limitations on noise levels
- Restrictions on structures and equipment (including tables, canopies, and sandwich boards)
- Prohibition of camping
- May not block fire lanes or impede pedestrian and bicycle traffic
- Must be between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Exceptions to this policy may be granted only in extraordinary cases.

Implementation Information

Requests for waivers to reserve either the Main Quad, Memorial Court or the Oval must be submitted at least 60 days in advance and in writing to the Office of Special Events & Protocol at: (650) 724-1387 or stanfordevents@stanford.edu.

Exception Process

Exceptions may be granted only in extraordinary cases.

Contact Information

Office of Special Events & Protocol
Office of Student Engagement