Memphis’ Homecoming week is underway as alums return to the university for the Memphis-UCF game and annual Homecoming parade.
Homecoming kicked off Sunday night at Memorial Field with the announcement of the artists that will be performing at the Bluff City Bash. Throughout the remainder of the week, students can enjoy various events hosted by the Student Activities Council.
This Wednesday’s events will begin with a carnival at 1:00 p.m. outside the UC, with attractions including bumper cars, carnival games, and food. Later that evening, the virtual DJ battle, Aux Cord Wars, will be hosted by professional DJs at 6:00 p.m. in the Rose Theater. SAC Senior Coordinator Sherika Smiley explained the event.
“Two students will get on stage, and the DJs will battle out a specific genre,” she said. The two students select the genre and music. “Whoever plays the best song for that specific genre wins that round.”
Thursday is Tiger Fest. Students will return to the Liberty Bowl for a concert by the artists announced on Sunday. Gates open at 7 p.m., and the concert begins at 8:00.
Friday is packed with events. Tiger Fest, hosted by the Student Ambassador Board, is first with food trucks and appearances from local businesses on Alumni Lawn. This will be followed by the Homecoming parade on Zach Curlin Street. Finally, once the parade ends, a pep rally for Saturday’s football game will be held on Alumni Lawn.
Throughout Homecoming week, there is an ongoing competition between the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes. Classes can accumulate points to become the top class at the U of M through activities such as banner creation and board painting, which will be displayed on Alumni Lawn. Activities also include door decorations throughout campus and parade floats. Floats will be judged during the parade to pick a winner.
Finally, Homecoming will be capped off by the Memphis-UCF matchup Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. A pre-game student tailgate will be hosted in the silver lot of the Liberty Bowl, with a DJ and catering from Percy P Plates, a soul food restaurant serving cuisines such as wings and nacho BBQ chips. SAC will also host an alum tailgate at Tiger Lane.
This marks the final meeting between the two teams before UCF leaves the American Athletic Conference to join the Big 12. Memphis narrowly edged out a well-fought win against UCF at the Liberty Bowl in 2020, their first win against Florida University since the inaugural matchup 30 years prior. Most recently, UCF defeated Memphis 24-7 in a 2021 away game.
The Tigers have struggled in recent weeks, losing three games in a row and dropping their conference record to 2-3. A win against 25 ranked UCF could be crucial to reviving the team’s morale and conference ranking.
Homecoming week is just getting started. For a list of events happening on campus, visit alumni.memphis.edu.
