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10 unique homecoming theme ideas to plan the perfect event
Homecoming is one of those rare chances to make nostalgia work for you — rekindling old ties, reminiscing, and building relationships that go the distance. A strong theme is essential to tie these together and set the vibe.
In this post, we have rounded up great homecoming themes and ideas, fresh takes on traditional homecoming activities, and creative ways to make your homecoming event unforgettable. Check out these awesome alumni homecoming ideas that work for everyone-
10 Fresh Homecoming Ideas
1. Time capsule
A time capsule is all about resurfacing the little moments that made your alumni feel at home—those unexpected corners where friendships formed, ideas took shape, and memories lingered long after the halls emptied. For example, take the Trojan Time Capsule.
For Homecoming 2024, USC carved out a snug recording booth beside Tommy Trojan and invited alumni to hit “record” and describe everything from midnight cram sessions in Doheny to dawn jogs around the Reflecting Pool. Each voice memo wove into a dynamic online soundscape, letting anyone—new students, returning grads, or visitors—virtually stroll through those treasured snapshots of campus life.
You can bring this same magic to your Homecoming. Pick a few of your campus’s most beloved or off-the-beaten spots and set up simple “Echo Booths” there. Then stitch those snippets into an interactive map or soundboard on your event site. Suddenly, “Echoes of the Campus” isn’t just a theme—it’s a living archive of your school’s heart and soul.
2. A week of giving
Imagine turning your Homecoming into an “Impact Week.” Take Hampton University as an example: their “Pirates Island” Homecoming in October 2024 welcomed 25,000 guests and infused roughly $3 million into Hampton and Coastal Virginia. When alums see their weekend reconnecting them to hometown businesses, it becomes more than nostalgia—it’s pride in tangible impact. That goodwill loop fuels participation: people RSVP earlier, bring friends, and share stories on social media. And when they return home, seeing how their dollars helped the local café or bookstore, they’re more inclined to open their wallets for the next big campaign, whether renovating an old lecture hall or funding the first‑generation student scholarship.
3. Hybrid homecoming events
Hybrid homecomings merge on-site excitement with virtual inclusion. At Tokyo Tech’s Homecoming Day 2024, the “Team Tokyo Tech Meeting” welcomed their alumni in person and online. You can replicate this by live-streaming keynote lectures, matches, tailgate parties, opening virtual lounge chats, offering 360° campus tours, watch parties, running real-time polls, and pairing in-hall networking pods with Zoom breakout rooms—so every alum can cheer, connect, and contribute no matter where they are.
4. Hashtags that go viral
Kicking off your Homecoming hype with a signature hashtag and mini‑gigs gets everyone talking. Think along the lines of the GlowGreen Initiative by MSU, where students and alums lit up campus, front porches, windows, rooms, or any space in neon gear to create an online buzz about their 2024 homecoming event, ‘Come Home Spartans,’ which became a huge success.
Likewise, you could launch #BlueOutBrunch, inviting everyone to share sunrise tailgate pics over a live DJ set, or a surprise “Flash Cheer” squad that erupts into a chant in the student union under #RoarWithUs. These hashtag prompts and pop‑up gigs spark shareable moments, build momentum on socials, and have everyone counting down the days until kickoff.
5. Retro week
A retro theme never misses the beat: it taps shared nostalgia across generations, needs only simple décor (neon signs, vinyl records, roller skates), and invites everyone to relive their favorite era. For example, Rockford University’s 2023 Homecoming transformed the campus into a nostalgic journey through the decades. Each day of the week celebrated a different era, from the funky 1970s to the early 2000s.
By hosting a retro-themed homecoming, students and alumni get to relive their favorite decades. Whether you stage a glow‑stick dance floor or dust off a classic arcade cabinet, retro vibes guarantee a full house—because who doesn’t love a trip down memory lane?
6. A focus on inclusion
An inclusivity-themed Homecoming invites every voice to the celebration, and schools like Emory University are showing how it’s done. Their 2024 “Belonging at Emory” Homecoming series featured multicultural food trucks, international music nights, and panel discussions led by alumni from diverse backgrounds. To bring this to your campus, you could host a “Cultures on the Quad” festival with heritage booths, world cuisines, and student performances. Add community-led story circles or alumni spotlight walls featuring first-gen journeys and intersectional experiences. A theme rooted in diversity doesn't just build belonging—it turns your Homecoming into a mirror of the world your students will lead.
7. Pop culture
Pop culture–themed events are crowd magnets, especially when students and alumni get to step inside their favorite fictional worlds. In 2024, Lander University embraced this trend with their Homecoming theme, “Celebrating the Spirit of the New Millennium.” The event transported attendees back to the early 2000s, highlighting iconic fashion trends, unforgettable music, and the vibrant pop culture of the era.
Whether it’s MTV vibes, Y2K fashion, or throwback chart-toppers, the nostalgia hits different when it’s immersive. Themes like these can transform your typical reunion into a star-studded event. It will bring cinematic flair and nostalgia into the real world, making your Homecoming not just a weekend, but an immersive experience alumni won’t want to miss.
8. Alumni entrepreneurs
This year, why not let the quad double as a launchpad? Imagine rows of pop-up stalls, each run by alumni who turned dorm room dreams into thriving ventures— app prototypes, travel consultancies, organic bakes, and everything in between. During last year’s homecoming, the University of Rhode Island (URI) introduced the Rhody Marketplace. This initiative brought together alumni entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses at a live event, fostering connections between alumni, students, and the broader university community. So, an Alumni Marketplace isn’t just a celebration of entrepreneurial spirit; it’s a golden intersection of legacy and opportunity. By hosting a homecoming focused on this, you can provide the students a chance to shake hands with future employers, internship mentors, and role models who once sat in the same lecture halls. For alumni, it’s recognition long overdue—proof that their journey matters, and that their alma mater is still cheering them on.
9. Homecoming with a cause
What if homecoming was less about confetti and more about causes? When the community comes together not just to remember the good old days, but also to fundraise and support local needs, it creates real change. At Truman State University, homecoming transcended traditional celebrations by emphasizing charitable giving and making a tangible difference through collective efforts during homecoming festivities.
Unlike the usual fanfare of parades and tailgates, a cause-centered homecoming reimagines what it truly means to return home. It transforms nostalgia into action, inviting alumni not just to relive memories, but to create impact.
10. Scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt-themed homecoming event is a fun and interactive way to bring alumni and students together. For example, the University of Wisconsin–Madison hosted a family-friendly scavenger hunt during their homecoming with clues tied to the university’s history and traditions, fostering a sense of nostalgia and community.
While revisiting the favorite campus spots, participants work in teams to solve clues and find hidden items around campus. This kind of event builds school spirit and encourages participants to connect and reminisce about their time at the university.
Whether through the excitement of a scavenger hunt or the heartfelt connection of a nostalgia-themed event, the possibilities for bringing alumni together are endless. By embracing these unique ideas, universities can create lasting memories and strengthen their community spirit year after year.
Kickstart your next homecoming with Almabase!
Homecoming is the perfect moment to reignite alumni connections and build momentum for year-round engagement. We’d love to help you make your upcoming homecoming the kind that keeps alumni returning — not just for the memories, but for the community. With tools built for seamless event management, expansive digital engagement, and online giving, we help you build the homecomings of your dreams.
Want to see it in action? Request a demo and bring your next homecoming to life
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a "homecoming"?
Homecoming is an annual tradition primarily observed in high schools and colleges that celebrates school spirit and community by welcoming back alumni or former members to their alma mater.
2. What’s the difference between homecoming and prom?
Homecoming is typically in the fall and is a celebration of your school spirit and community. Prom is typically held in spring and is usually a formal dance marking the end of the high school experience.
3. What actually happens at high school homecoming?
It’s a week of dress-up days, pep rallies, parades, and other community events. A football game is usually the main event, with alumni in the stands.
4. Why does homecoming even matter?
Homecoming not only celebrates your institution’s spirit but also brings current students, faculty, alumni, and members of the local community together to create lasting memories and strengthen the overall community feeling.
About the author
Sharada is a freelance blogger and communication trainer who loves exploring the intersection of education and training. When not working, she enjoys reading and dabbling in calligraphy.
Homecoming is one of those rare chances to make nostalgia work for you — rekindling old ties, reminiscing, and building relationships that go the distance. A strong theme is essential to tie these together and set the vibe.
In this post, we have rounded up great homecoming themes and ideas, fresh takes on traditional homecoming activities, and creative ways to make your homecoming event unforgettable. Check out these awesome alumni homecoming ideas that work for everyone-
10 Fresh Homecoming Ideas
1. Time capsule
A time capsule is all about resurfacing the little moments that made your alumni feel at home—those unexpected corners where friendships formed, ideas took shape, and memories lingered long after the halls emptied. For example, take the Trojan Time Capsule.
For Homecoming 2024, USC carved out a snug recording booth beside Tommy Trojan and invited alumni to hit “record” and describe everything from midnight cram sessions in Doheny to dawn jogs around the Reflecting Pool. Each voice memo wove into a dynamic online soundscape, letting anyone—new students, returning grads, or visitors—virtually stroll through those treasured snapshots of campus life.
You can bring this same magic to your Homecoming. Pick a few of your campus’s most beloved or off-the-beaten spots and set up simple “Echo Booths” there. Then stitch those snippets into an interactive map or soundboard on your event site. Suddenly, “Echoes of the Campus” isn’t just a theme—it’s a living archive of your school’s heart and soul.
2. A week of giving
Imagine turning your Homecoming into an “Impact Week.” Take Hampton University as an example: their “Pirates Island” Homecoming in October 2024 welcomed 25,000 guests and infused roughly $3 million into Hampton and Coastal Virginia. When alums see their weekend reconnecting them to hometown businesses, it becomes more than nostalgia—it’s pride in tangible impact. That goodwill loop fuels participation: people RSVP earlier, bring friends, and share stories on social media. And when they return home, seeing how their dollars helped the local café or bookstore, they’re more inclined to open their wallets for the next big campaign, whether renovating an old lecture hall or funding the first‑generation student scholarship.
3. Hybrid homecoming events
Hybrid homecomings merge on-site excitement with virtual inclusion. At Tokyo Tech’s Homecoming Day 2024, the “Team Tokyo Tech Meeting” welcomed their alumni in person and online. You can replicate this by live-streaming keynote lectures, matches, tailgate parties, opening virtual lounge chats, offering 360° campus tours, watch parties, running real-time polls, and pairing in-hall networking pods with Zoom breakout rooms—so every alum can cheer, connect, and contribute no matter where they are.
4. Hashtags that go viral
Kicking off your Homecoming hype with a signature hashtag and mini‑gigs gets everyone talking. Think along the lines of the GlowGreen Initiative by MSU, where students and alums lit up campus, front porches, windows, rooms, or any space in neon gear to create an online buzz about their 2024 homecoming event, ‘Come Home Spartans,’ which became a huge success.
Likewise, you could launch #BlueOutBrunch, inviting everyone to share sunrise tailgate pics over a live DJ set, or a surprise “Flash Cheer” squad that erupts into a chant in the student union under #RoarWithUs. These hashtag prompts and pop‑up gigs spark shareable moments, build momentum on socials, and have everyone counting down the days until kickoff.
5. Retro week
A retro theme never misses the beat: it taps shared nostalgia across generations, needs only simple décor (neon signs, vinyl records, roller skates), and invites everyone to relive their favorite era. For example, Rockford University’s 2023 Homecoming transformed the campus into a nostalgic journey through the decades. Each day of the week celebrated a different era, from the funky 1970s to the early 2000s.
By hosting a retro-themed homecoming, students and alumni get to relive their favorite decades. Whether you stage a glow‑stick dance floor or dust off a classic arcade cabinet, retro vibes guarantee a full house—because who doesn’t love a trip down memory lane?
6. A focus on inclusion
An inclusivity-themed Homecoming invites every voice to the celebration, and schools like Emory University are showing how it’s done. Their 2024 “Belonging at Emory” Homecoming series featured multicultural food trucks, international music nights, and panel discussions led by alumni from diverse backgrounds. To bring this to your campus, you could host a “Cultures on the Quad” festival with heritage booths, world cuisines, and student performances. Add community-led story circles or alumni spotlight walls featuring first-gen journeys and intersectional experiences. A theme rooted in diversity doesn't just build belonging—it turns your Homecoming into a mirror of the world your students will lead.
7. Pop culture
Pop culture–themed events are crowd magnets, especially when students and alumni get to step inside their favorite fictional worlds. In 2024, Lander University embraced this trend with their Homecoming theme, “Celebrating the Spirit of the New Millennium.” The event transported attendees back to the early 2000s, highlighting iconic fashion trends, unforgettable music, and the vibrant pop culture of the era.
Whether it’s MTV vibes, Y2K fashion, or throwback chart-toppers, the nostalgia hits different when it’s immersive. Themes like these can transform your typical reunion into a star-studded event. It will bring cinematic flair and nostalgia into the real world, making your Homecoming not just a weekend, but an immersive experience alumni won’t want to miss.
8. Alumni entrepreneurs
This year, why not let the quad double as a launchpad? Imagine rows of pop-up stalls, each run by alumni who turned dorm room dreams into thriving ventures— app prototypes, travel consultancies, organic bakes, and everything in between. During last year’s homecoming, the University of Rhode Island (URI) introduced the Rhody Marketplace. This initiative brought together alumni entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses at a live event, fostering connections between alumni, students, and the broader university community. So, an Alumni Marketplace isn’t just a celebration of entrepreneurial spirit; it’s a golden intersection of legacy and opportunity. By hosting a homecoming focused on this, you can provide the students a chance to shake hands with future employers, internship mentors, and role models who once sat in the same lecture halls. For alumni, it’s recognition long overdue—proof that their journey matters, and that their alma mater is still cheering them on.
9. Homecoming with a cause
What if homecoming was less about confetti and more about causes? When the community comes together not just to remember the good old days, but also to fundraise and support local needs, it creates real change. At Truman State University, homecoming transcended traditional celebrations by emphasizing charitable giving and making a tangible difference through collective efforts during homecoming festivities.
Unlike the usual fanfare of parades and tailgates, a cause-centered homecoming reimagines what it truly means to return home. It transforms nostalgia into action, inviting alumni not just to relive memories, but to create impact.
10. Scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt-themed homecoming event is a fun and interactive way to bring alumni and students together. For example, the University of Wisconsin–Madison hosted a family-friendly scavenger hunt during their homecoming with clues tied to the university’s history and traditions, fostering a sense of nostalgia and community.
While revisiting the favorite campus spots, participants work in teams to solve clues and find hidden items around campus. This kind of event builds school spirit and encourages participants to connect and reminisce about their time at the university.
Whether through the excitement of a scavenger hunt or the heartfelt connection of a nostalgia-themed event, the possibilities for bringing alumni together are endless. By embracing these unique ideas, universities can create lasting memories and strengthen their community spirit year after year.
Kickstart your next homecoming with Almabase!
Homecoming is the perfect moment to reignite alumni connections and build momentum for year-round engagement. We’d love to help you make your upcoming homecoming the kind that keeps alumni returning — not just for the memories, but for the community. With tools built for seamless event management, expansive digital engagement, and online giving, we help you build the homecomings of your dreams.
Want to see it in action? Request a demo and bring your next homecoming to life
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a "homecoming"?
Homecoming is an annual tradition primarily observed in high schools and colleges that celebrates school spirit and community by welcoming back alumni or former members to their alma mater.
2. What’s the difference between homecoming and prom?
Homecoming is typically in the fall and is a celebration of your school spirit and community. Prom is typically held in spring and is usually a formal dance marking the end of the high school experience.
3. What actually happens at high school homecoming?
It’s a week of dress-up days, pep rallies, parades, and other community events. A football game is usually the main event, with alumni in the stands.
4. Why does homecoming even matter?
Homecoming not only celebrates your institution’s spirit but also brings current students, faculty, alumni, and members of the local community together to create lasting memories and strengthen the overall community feeling.
About the author
Sharada is a freelance blogger and communication trainer who loves exploring the intersection of education and training. When not working, she enjoys reading and dabbling in calligraphy.
Blackbaud, the leading provider of software for powering social impact, and Almabase, the digital-first alumni engagement solution, have announced the expansion of their partnership to the education sectors of Canada and the United Kingdom. The partnership will provide institutions with a modern, digital-first solution to improve constituent data, drive self-serve engagement, and boost event participation.
A Unified Vision
The partnership aligns with Blackbaud’s commitment to customer-centric innovation across digital engagement, Advancement CRM, and financials.
“Partners bring integrated capabilities that extend capabilities and outcomes for Blackbaud customers. We are thrilled that Almabase’s offering, integrated with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® and leveraging Blackbaud’s best-in-class payment solution, Blackbaud Merchant Services™, is now available to even more of our customers around the world.”
- Liz Price, Sr. Director of Global Partners at Blackbaud
