Dial-A-Carol 2023
Call in at 217-332-1882
Real humans. Really singing.
24/7 » December 7 – 13
What is Dial-A-Carol?
The short answer: a wonderful group of mostly student volunteers dedicating some of their finals week study time to sing holiday songs to anyone around the world who calls, for 24 hours a day, one week year, all in the name of spreading joy and kindness.
Dial-A-Carol is the longest running tradition in University Housing (hosted by Snyder Hall since 1960). For one week only, anyone from around the world can call our phone lines, 24/7, and request any holiday song, then we'll do our best to sing our hearts out. The best part? It's completely FREE!
Join Dial-A-Carol on Facebook to get a glimpse of behind the scenes.
Real life human people will sing to me?
Yes! Students, faculty, staff and members of the community are all welcome to take part. They have a book of traditional holiday music, but will also search the internet to find the words and tune to even the most obscure song.
Interested in singing?
Sign up with our volunteer form!
Are you a student who wants to volunteer?
Check out the volunteer FAQ page for answers to any questions you may have.
Can anyone call?
Of course! Last year calls were received from all over the world. We get calls from children and adults of all ages from all corners of the globe.
What time can we call?
Phone lines open at 12:01 a.m. on December 7 and volunteers tend the lines 24/7 through 11:59 p.m. on December 13. There are multiple lines available, so please be patient if you can't get through right away or you are put on hold. We do our best to keep wait times short and spirits jolly. Also pro tip: if you can’t get through, call again!
Help us go viral!
We want to let lots of people know about Dial-A-Carol. If you have a great experience, please share it with your friends, family, and co-workers. Our goal every year is to try and receive a phone call from every country and all US states and territories within the first 24 hours!
Who plans Dial-A-Carol every year?
Our amazing student resident leaders on the Dial-A-Carol planning committee work with Housing professional staff to make sure this annual tradition continues to go off without a hitch!
Want to Support Dial-A-Carol?
Make a gift and help support us! Your gifts help make sure we can keep singing.
Learn more about the history of this tradition:
University of Illinois blog post
Student Life and Culture Archives article