Thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses will congregate on campus this weekend to attend an annual regional convention held at the O'Connell Center.
The event will kick off Friday and extend through Sunday. The convention will repeat next weekend beginning Aug. 1.
"It's a little too large for us all to fit in one weekend," said Warren Behr, a spokesman for the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses.
This year's theme is "Guided by God's Spirit," according to a news release.
About 7,000 people are expected to attend each weekend from the 117 congregations serving southern Georgia and northern Florida, according to the release. They will come for three days of talks, lectures, songs and dramatizations, Behr said.
A full-costume drama will be performed on Sunday, he said.
The Gainesville convention is one of 305 in 76 cities nationwide, which began in May and will continue through September, according to the release.
This is the third year the event will be held in the O'Connell Center because of its "great atmosphere" and ability to accommodate so many people, Behr said.
Sessions will begin at 9:20 a.m. each day and are free and open to the public.
