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It’s a homecoming for Homecoming at the Heights.
For the first time in decades, Boston College will officially celebrate Homecoming on Oct. 4-5, with a slate of events for both alumni and students to come together and showcase their BC pride as the football Eagles prepare to take on Army in Alumni Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5.
On Friday, Oct. 4, will be a pep rally featuring the football team, the Screaming Eagles Marching Band and cheerleaders on Shea Field, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Alumni, parents and friends are invited to gather prior to the rally at Cadigan Alumni Center for a reception. Then the group, escorted by cheerleaders and band members, will process over to join the student body at Shea Field for the rally. The pep rally will close with a fireworks display.
“Spirit Week,” the days leading up to Homecoming Weekend, will be filled with activities where BC students can demonstrate their school spirit and vie for a trophy that will be awarded at halftime of the Homecoming game. Competitions include a contest to create banners and display them on the Commonwealth Avenue parking garage —three judges will select a winner based on originality, overall appearance, creativity and spirit; members of the BC community can vote online for their favorite — and a game show-style tournament between teams in Robsham Theater on Oct. 3. Students can also earn points for wearing BC gear on Oct. 4 and checking in with the UGBC table in the Gasson Quad during the day.
Homecoming t-shirts will be handed out throughout Spirit Week and students are encouraged to wear them to the game; the t-shirts also will be available for purchase at the BC Bookstore.
On Oct. 5, game day activities will start with FanFest at the Recreation Complex, a family-friendly celebration with Baldwin, cheerleaders and children’s activities, such as face painting. During the game, there will be a 25th-anniversary recognition of the BC and Army football teams, which met in the 1988 Emerald Isle Classic in Dublin, the first American college football game played in Europe.
Closing out Homecoming will be the Homecoming Ball for students at the Boston Sheraton Hotel on Saturday evening.
Homecoming is a joint project of Athletics, the Alumni Association, Office of Student Programs and the Division of Student Affairs, UGBC and Nights on the Heights. For more information, see www.bc.edu/homecoming.