Next year’s Colonials Weekend will not include alumni events, and a separate Alumni Weekend will take place instead, said Scott Mory, assistant vice president for Advancement Alumni Relations and Annual Giving.

For the past five years, Colonials Weekend has included events’ for family and for alumni. Mory said the events weekends will be separate next year because of increased alumni participation in Colonials Weekend.

“Overall, our prime concern is giving alumni the best experience,” Mory said.

Last weekend’s Colonials Weekend drew about 1,300 alumni, up from about 1,000 last year and an increase for the fourth year in a row, Mory said. Up to 4,500 parents and family members attended this year’s Colonials Weekend, said Rodney Johnson, director of Parent Services, who organizes that aspect of the weekend.

The 2007 Alumni Weekend will be hosted next Sept. 28-30 and parent and family weekend, still to be called Colonials Weekend, will be Oct. 19-21.

In 2001, alumni and parents were invited to separate weekends in the fall. After the events of Sept. 11 that year, which forced the alumni weekend to be canceled, the University combined the two weekends.

“We know how to do things for parents. I don’t think it will be a problem for either one of (our offices),” Johnson said.

Colonials Weekend will still be host to major headlining acts such as this year’s Jerry Seinfeld performance or last year’s Jon Stewart show.

Officials said hosting a separate Alumni Weekend will allow organizers to focus on reunion events.

“Alumni come back to see each other and see the campus,” Mory said.

He added that no new programming costs are expected.