Fitchburg State University will celebrate Homecoming weekend in October, including a carnival from 3 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 for students, alumni, staff and the community at large.
Tickets for the carnival are $10 for the general public and $5 for children under 12 and may be ordered online by visiting fitchburgstate.edu/homecoming. Advance purchase is required and supplies are limited. Tickets are free for Fitchburg State students.
“Our entire campus is excited to celebrate Homecoming weekend as we come together as a community to welcome our alumni and cheer on our Falcons athletic teams,” University President Donna Hodge said. “We are thrilled this year to open the carnival to community members, as our campus is your campus.”
The festivities will begin with a pep rally on the main quadrangle at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, where fans will cheer on the university’s student-athletes as they gear up for a weekend of competition. Local high school marching bands will also be performing at the rally.
The carnival, featuring seven rides as well as games and food stations, will open at 3 p.m.
The action moves to Elliot Field at 4 p.m. when the men’s soccer team takes on the Westfield State Owls.
Homecoming continues Saturday with a tailgate starting at 10 a.m. in the Wallace Civic Center parking lot, where visitors are encouraged to stop by President Hodge’s tent. The day’s athletic events start at noon, when the Falcons football team welcomes the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Bulldogs at Elliot Field.
There will also be a beer garden next to the field. The games continue at Elliot Field when the field hockey team takes on Westfield State at 5 p.m. The day wraps up with a dance and casino night at 7 p.m. at the Athletics and Recreation Center where Falcons young and old will enjoy dancing, casino games, desserts, and a cash bar.
The full schedule may be viewed at fitchburgstate.edu/homecoming.