Occasion’ and ‘event’ are synonyms in some contexts, but they select different prepositions. While ‘event’ means a planned public occasion or anything that happens, ‘occasion’ refers to a particular time something happens, a special or formal event, or a chance to do something. But, as Cambridge notes, it (occasion) can also mean a big party, holiday, or ceremony (like a wedding or graduation).
Despite this semantic overlap, ‘occasion’ and ‘event’ choose different prepositions. We use ‘on’ with the first and ‘at’ with the second:
He spoke eloquently on the occasion of his wife’s 40th birthday. They reunited on the occasion. He spoke eloquently at the event (of his wife’s 40th birthday). They reunited at the event.
The comparison indicates that it is erroneous to say ‘at the occasion’, an expression that, unfortunately, often rears its head, even in the media arena:
Speaking at the occasion, the minister listed five achievements
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