The Special Events Committee of the Campus Activities Team will host the annual Little Wildcat Weekend this weekend.

Villanova students are invited to bring their siblings, nieces, nephews or cousins to campus to enjoy a weekend of activities specifically designed for a young age group.

Activities will begin tomorrow and continue through the weekend.

The weekend, which was originally called Siblings’ Weekend, includes trips into the Philadelphia area, family movies, a character breakfast, a carnival on Saturday night and comedy shows.

“We changed the name from Siblings’ Weekend to Little Wildcats’ Weekend in order to make it more welcoming to cousins and other family members and friends,” said Kaitlin Cherundolo, co-director of CAT’s Special Events Committee.

On average, about 150 “Little Wildcats” and 75 Villanova students participate in the weekend activities, Cherundolo said. CAT expects to have around the same number of participants this weekend.

Sophomore communication major Lisa Merola participated in the weekend last year with her six-year-old sister Julia and also invited her 15-year-old cousin.

“I liked that there were planned activities because usually when my family comes to visit, we’re looking for things to do,” Merola said.

The weekend officially begins with check-in and registration at 4 p.m. tomorrow. Then students and their “Little Wildcats” have a choice of several activities.

Participants can go on an ice skating trip at the Blue Cross River Rink at 6:30 p.m. Later the movie “Meet the Robinsons” will be shown in the Connelly Cinema at both 7 and 9 p.m. Also, magician Jim Karol will be performing a magic show at 8:30 p.m. in the Belle Air Terrace.

The events continue on Saturday morning with a character breakfast at 9:30 a.m. in Dougherty Dining Hall. CAT members will dress up as super heroes to go along with the weekend’s theme.

Those who bought tickets will travel to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia at 11:00 a.m. to watch the men’s basketball team play against Notre Dame.

“New this year, we were able to purchase tickets to the men’s basketball game at the Wachovia Center,” Cherundolo said. “We were allotted 80 tickets, and they sold out in about a week.”

Also on Saturday, students and their family members can take a trip to the Arden Theater in Philadelphia to see a production of “Sleeping Beauty.”

The final event of the day will be another viewing of the featured movie in the Connelly Cinema at 9:30 p.m. Pizza and refreshments will be available to the participants.

The last activity is a Mass on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. in the St. Thomas of Villanova Church.

Cherundolo says she believes the weekend is usually a good time for all those involved because it is a weekend full of family fun that allows family and friends to spend time together.

“I think the weekend is usually a success because its geared to the Little Wildcats, and it gives Villanova students an opportunity to spend time with their younger siblings and friends,” Cherundolo said.

Merola said she enjoyed the weekend simply because it allows students to spend valuable and, sometimes, rare time with younger family members.

“I liked the weekend because it gives me a great opportunity to spend time with my sister,” Merola said.

“It’s a great weekend for family to visit because there are planned events and activities,” she added. “A whole weekend is planned for you to have fun with your siblings.”