Fall at IU is full of celebration –– trees around Bloomington turning colors, back-to-school events and of course, IU homecoming weekend.
At a university that’s 203 years old, annual festivities like homecoming are entwined with rich history dating back to the campus’ beginning. Here are four of IU’s biggest homecoming traditions.
Party at the parade
The annual homecoming parade is one of campuses’ longest-standing traditions. It’s hard to pin down exactly when the parade began, but the 1923 Arbutus yearbook contains the first record of the IU homecoming parade as we know it today.
Each year, students and alumni gather to kick off homecoming weekend by showing their Hoosier pride in the form of cream and crimson-colored floats, IU Marching Hundred Band and Indiana Cheerleading performances and student group showcases. This year’s parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. Oct 20 at 13th Street and Woodlawn Avenue.
Cheer on Hoosiers at the homecoming game
There would be no homecoming without the annual Hoosier homecoming football game. The 116th annual match will kick off at noon Oct. 21 at Memorial Stadium, where the Hoosiers will battle the Rutgers Scarlet Nights. Football fans and IU families will crowd in the stands and student section to cheer on a hopeful Indiana win.
Tickets for the game start at $20 for students, $30 for adults and $15 for kids ages 18 and younger. Purchase yours at the IU Athletics website.
Tailgate at the Hoosier Huddle
College football means tailgating. The IU Alumni Association celebrates pre-game traditions every year at the annual Homecoming Huddle tailgate for IU alumni and their families. This year’s morning tailgate will feature live entertainment and food from local restaurants. Festivities kick off at 9 a.m. Oct 21 at the DeVault Alumni Center. For IUAA members planning to attend, register on the My IU website.
Others, of course, are welcome to host their own tailgate parties. Fans will flock to the Memorial Stadium parking lot, or to surrounding grass lots south of 17th Street and north of 14th Street, to celebrate the homecoming game with food, drink and fun. Spaces fill up, so make sure to hit the stadium early to kickstart your pre-game celebration.
Celebrate IU students on homecoming court
Each year, IU crowns homecoming royalty – undergraduate students who receive a $500 scholarship from the university and play a big role in celebrating school spirit. According to the Herald Times, the homecoming court can be traced back to around 1940. In 1968 however, the contest was suspended, as its judges were criticized for not accepting Black students who’d applied for the role. Eventually, the homecoming court was reinstated in 1978, and has remained a tradition since – crowning two IU students as homecoming royalty each year.
