Photo of University Hall

Homecoming is Just Around the Corner!

The countdown is on! Join us on Saturday, September 30, for Homecoming 2023. Come home to campus for a day filled with fun, food and football! Don’t miss the Alumni Barbecue, student performances, the Street Fair and much more! Online registration closes Wednesday, September 27, so get your tickets today!

Posted in: Alumni News and Events, Uncategorized

People under balloon arch at homecoming.

The big day is almost here! Join us on Saturday, September 30, for Homecoming 2023. Homecoming offers a full day of fun activities to choose from! Start your day with a visit to the Alumni Welcome Tent in front of Cole Hall. Check in, pick up your free alumni gift and learn about the day’s activities. Join in the Street Fair festivities on Chapin Drive. See the amazing changes to campus on a walking tour. Don’t miss the Alumni Barbecue with gatherings for our Black Alumni Advisory Council, Hispanic/Latinx/a/o Alumni Network, Recent Alumni Network, Women’s Initiative Network, and annual EOF alumni gathering. Then, at 6:00 p.m., it’s game time! Cheer the Red Hawks to victory over TCNJ.

Online registration is closed. Please contact the Office of Alumni Engagement for additional information or to purchase tickets at 973-655-4141.

Check out the full schedule of activities and fill your day on campus:

Alumni Welcome Tent
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Tent Outside Cole Hall (Formerly College Hall)

Gather with fellow alumni, sign in, check out the program for the day and pick up your alumni gift. Learn more about MONTCLAIRconnect and how you can stay connected. Don’t forget to pick up your tickets to the big game!

Please note: Discounted football game ticket sales will be available for sale via online Homecoming registration only for on-site pick up at the Welcome Tent (not at the gates).

Campus Tours
11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. | Starting Point – Alumni Welcome Tent Outside Admissions Entrance of Cole Hall

Join a walking tour of campus for alumni, friends and families. First stop – Cole Hall! Walking tour campus map at the Alumni Welcome Tent.

George Segal Gallery: Kids Art Corner
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | George Segal Gallery

Drop in for morning children’s activities exploring the current exhibition. Ages 5 – 10. Guardian attendance is required. Admission is free and open to the public.

George Segal Gallery Exhibition: The Backend
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | George Segal Gallery

The Backend is a group exhibition that brings together artists who explore how protocols, procedures and contracts shape our society, the ways we relate to each other and our lived experiences. Confirmed artists include Julia Weist, TJ Shin, Liz Magic Laser, William Powhida, Maia Chao, Finnegan Shannon and others investigating themes of debt, disability and access, funding structures and the maze-like systems of bureaucracy.

Street Fair
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Chapin Drive
Chapin Drive Street Fair / Food and Drink Concessions

Alumni, students, families and our community are invited to gather for the Street Fair! Enjoy music and activities including face painting, caricaturist, photo booths, balloon art, food concessions and sweets. Ride the mechanical pumpkin, jump into Vertical Rush and then test your skills against the obstacle course. Play classic carnival games like frog bog and water race. Check out the information tables and learn about the work of schools and departments. There will also be exciting opportunities to not only learn, but interact with tables offering games and demonstrations. Don’t miss the Nutrition and Food Studies tables featuring food demonstrations and samples, or Exercise Science & Physical Education’s table featuring a body composition assessment using Bioelectric Impedance Analysis! Don’t miss the fire truck, which is sure to be a hit for the little ones!

Mainstage / Student Performances | Amphitheater

Students giving a dance performance
© 2022 John J. LaRosa

Head over to the Amphitheater to enjoy featured performances, demonstrations and interactive presentations at the mainstage.

  • WMSC’s Live Music Showcase Spectacular! / 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Enjoy an enchanting collection of live music performances by talented local bands, thoughtfully curated and proudly presented by the acclaimed campus radio station, WMSC FM.
  • Montclair Improv League and Friends / 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. A live improv show featuring current students and Montclair Alumni! Be prepared to laugh, anything can happen! (Please note that during Homecoming Weekend on Friday, September 29 and Saturday, September 30 there will be special alumni improv shows on campus beginning at 8 p.m. in University Hall, Room 1070.)
  • Players Variety Show / 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Enjoy some acting, singing, dancing, and more brought to you by Players: A Programming Board of the SGA who are celebrating their 86th season!
  • Homecoming Student Talent Showcase / 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Come see student groups perform skits based on the Homecoming theme!

Alumni Barbecue
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Historic Quad (Area Outside Freeman / Russ / Chapin Halls)

Group enjoying the alumni barbecue

Join fellow graduates for the signature alumni event of the day. Enjoy a BBQ lunch, live music, games, fun for the kids and more! Celebrate school spirit as we get ready for kick off! Join us for our gathering for our alumni networking groups and help us welcome alumni of Bloomfield College:

Cost: $25.00 per person, $15.00 for kids (under 2 free) – Pre-Registration Required.

Sample craft beer from our featured local breweries:

  • Montclair Brewery
  • Four City Brewing
  • Cricket Hill Brewery
  • Brix City Brewing

*Includes food, drinks and a $5 gift to The Fund for Montclair State. For Bloomfield Alumni, this includes a $5 gift to The Bloomfield College fund.
Must be 21 and provide photo ID to consume alcohol.

Online registration is closed. Please contact the Office of Alumni Engagement for additional information or to purchase tickets at 973-655-4141.

Athletics: Alumni Swimming and Diving Meet
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Panzer Athletic Center Pool and Outdoor Area

Open to Swimming and Diving alumni and their families. Members of the current and prior teams come together for an Alumni vs. Varsity swimming and diving meet, followed by their annual reunion celebration.

Homecoming Tailgate
4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. | Lot 7 (Adjacent to Sprague Field)

All are welcome! Enjoy food trucks, beer, wine, music and tailgate games and celebrate school spirit as we get ready for kick off and watch the game!

Cost: Free admission; Beer/Wine/Cider/Seltzer and Food Truck Concessions

Red Hawk Sports Network’s “Game Day” Live Broadcast
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Sprague Field Endzone

Stop by the Athletics Annex to see Montclair State University student broadcasters from the Red Hawk Sports Network as they host a live Game Day broadcast. Watch them break down the upcoming big game, interview Montclair coaches and athletes, and talk all things Red Hawk Sports. And after you see them in person, you can watch this show and the student-led broadcast of the homecoming football game on the RHSN’s YouTube channel, your home for MSU sports and an exciting partnership between the School of Communication and Media and Montclair State Athletics. Not only are the broadcasters and analysts students, but every crew position ranging from utility to cameraperson to director are filled by School of Communication and Media students.

Homecoming Football Game: Montclair State University vs. TCNJ
6:00 p.m. | Sprague Field

Montclair football player running with ball

Check out Game Day with the Red Hawk Sports Network and cheer the Red Hawks on to victory as they take on TCNJ at 6:00 p.m.

Cost: $5.00 Alumni Discount. Please note: Discounted football game ticket sales will be available only via online Homecoming registration for on-site pickup at the Welcome Tent (not at the gates).

Please note: All tickets purchased at the ticket booth on Homecoming day will cost $10 for adults and $5 for children, senior citizens and veterans. No additional discounts apply.

Kaleidoscope Performance
8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. | Alexander Kasser Theater

Join us for a non-stop extravaganza celebrating the Cali School’s talented students and faculty, Kaleidoscope features the Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, Chorale, University Singers, Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and auditioned chamber and solo artists.
Cost: $25.00 per single ticket. $20.00 for Seniors (65+)

Purchase Your Ticket

Parking is Free!

Complimentary parking is available in the Red Hawk Parking Deck and all surface lots.

Let’s keep our school spirit soaring! Come back to campus and join fellow Red Hawks for one or all of the many opportunities to connect.

Online registration is closed. Please contact the Office of Alumni Engagement for additional information or to purchase tickets at 973-655-4141.

Please know photographers will be taking photos of Homecoming activities throughout the day.

For more information about Homecoming activities, contact the Office Alumni Engagement at alumni@montclair.edu or 973-655-4141.