OU Announces Changes to Homecoming Parade and Celebrations
The University of Oklahoma is making a change to one of the longest-standing traditions of Homecoming Reunion Week, the Homecoming Parade. This year, the parade will take place on Friday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. and will feature glow-in-the-dark materials and electric lighting.
The new parade route will begin going north on Elm Street, turning east on Boyd Street and then south on Parrington Oval. The parade will end with floats lining the North Oval.
Emma Williams, Campus Activities Council Homecoming executive chair and senior visual communications major in the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, said she hopes the “glow parade” will encourage more engagement.
“We are excited to offer a fresh perspective to the OU Homecoming celebrations this year,” Williams said. “I look forward to seeing how all our parade participants interpret this year’s theme of ‘Game On!’ and how they uniquely present it at our new glow parade. We are excited to invite more of the Norman community to visit our Homecoming events this year and experience the vibrant spirit of our OU campus community.”
London Moore, campus programs coordinator and CAC adviser, and Dr. Erin Simpson, director of the Gender and Equality Center, said they believe this change will result in better attendance for both the Norman community and the student population.
“Excitement is in the air as we prepare to illuminate tradition and ignite our OU spirit at our inaugural Homecoming glow parade,” they said in a joint statement. “We are looking forward to putting a new spin on a beloved OU tradition and continuing to create events that bring the OU community together.”
The parade will finish on the North Oval, near where the recently relocated Rah! Rally will take place in front of Jacobson Hall, located at 550 Parrington Oval, at 9 p.m. Rah! Rally is the annual choreographed competition between student organizations and has been previously held in Lloyd Noble Center.
Rah! Rally will start shortly after the parade concludes to give parade spectators the chance to see this special event as well.
“We are excited to introduce a reimagined OU Homecoming Parade experience that will truly set us apart,” said David Surratt, vice president of student affairs and dean of students. “Our innovative glow parade promises to electrify Homecoming Week and generate considerable enthusiasm throughout the entire university.”
The students selected for Homecoming Royalty Court will be included in the parade. All student-led Homecoming events can be found here.
This article was originally published by OU Student Affairs.
