Temoc and the UT Dallas Cheerleaders appeared in last year's Homecoming Parade. This year the parade is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10.
Get ready to see plenty of orange, green and white on campus as students and alumni rev up the Comet spirit at The University of Texas at Dallas for Homecoming 2017.
Organizers for the 24th annual event, Nov. 8-11, have planned a parade, fashion show, late-night float building, cardboard boat races, a glow-in-the-dark 5K run, a concert, and a tailgating event before the women’s basketball game against Huston-Tillotson University.
“Homecoming is a great opportunity for students, alumni, faculty and staff to show their spirit,” said Tineil Lewis, assistant director of student organizations. “We have expanded the activities to have something for every Comet, to bring our alumni back on campus and to appeal to the entire campus community.”
Homecoming will begin with a kickoff party from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the mall featuring music, food, games and prizes.
Homecoming Schedule
Visit utdallas.edu/homecoming for the full list of Homecoming events and contests.
Participate in the 2017 Comets Can! Food Drive Challenge, where faculty and staff compete to collect the most nonperishable food and personal care items for the Comet Cupboard.
Follow and contribute homecoming happenings on social media by using #utdhc.
More than 315 people have registered for the Wednesday evening run, with participants sporting glow-in-the-dark gear for the race.
Approximately 71 groups have registered for the Homecoming Parade, which starts at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, along Rutford Avenue. The UT Dallas Pep Band and the cheer and dance teams from the Dallas International School will provide live music for the parade, which will feature custom-decorated golf carts, cars, pickups and trucks with trailers. The Richardson Fire Department’s Station No. 3 plans to join the parade with a firetruck and ambulance.
The Cardboard Boat Regatta contest, which challenges participants to create racing vessels with cardboard and duct tape, will begin at 6 p.m. Friday in the Activity Center pool.
The tailgate party, which runs from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11, will feature music, games and giveaways. Everyone is encouraged to bring their own tailgate fixings. Beverages will be provided.
Comet Street, also from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday in Lot J, will include food, music, caricature artists and T-shirts.
Homecoming attendees are encouraged to join the UT Dallas Cheerleaders and Power Dancers to support to the women’s basketball team as it plays Huston-Tillotson at 5 p.m. Saturday. At halftime, the homecoming king and queen will be announced, and parade winners will be revealed.
After the game, a concert featuring rapper Rob Stone and the indie-pop band AJR will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday in Lot J.
For the University's more than 100,000 alumni, homecoming offers the opportunity to see recent changes on campus, including the newly dedicated Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center, said Melinda Mendoza, senior director of alumni relations. This year's alumni events include a lecture and lunch on the center's lawn.
“We hope many alumni and friends will turn out to show pride in their alma mater and to see our new alumni center, which gives them a place of their own to reconnect and share memories,” Mendoza said.