Students and alumni won’t have to wait until the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns face the Texas State Bobcats for Homecoming 2019 fun.
A week’s worth of activities and events are planned leading up to kick off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Cajun Field.
The Homecoming 2019 theme is “Embrace the Culture.”
Homecoming Week gets rolling with the Ragin’ Rock and Bowl from 4-6:30 p.m. at Rock ’n’ Bowl de Lafayette, 905 Jefferson Street. Attendees can bowl – and enjoy refreshments – to the music of Geno Delafose.
A Homecoming Block Party will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28 near the UL Lafayette Alumni Center, 600 E. St. Mary Blvd. The boulevard will be closed to traffic between McKinley and Taft streets. Attendees will be able to buy meals from food trucks or purchase discounted wares from several “pop-up” vendors. The University Program Council will hand out cupcakes while they last.
On Tuesday, Oct. 29, the two-day “Paint the Town Red” contest begins, with businesses and schools showing off their school spirit and pride with displays of red and white. Judges will select winners in a range of categories, including interior and exterior decorations. They will begin stopping by businesses starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and schools starting at 8 a.m. the next day.
A Campus Scavenger Hunt will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday. Students will meet at the Student Union then spread out across campus for the hunt. They’ll track down campus locations that will remain secret until just before the event. Participants can form teams or take part alone.
On Wednesday, Oct. 30, the Campus Cupboard Donation Drive and Wear Red, Get Fed will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors to Boucher Street near the Student Union can drop off nonperishables, except for canned goods. If they wear Ragin’ Cajuns gear, they can snack on free lunches while they last.
From 7-9 p.m. that night, students will have to figure out riddles, solve mysteries and decipher clues if they want to make it out of the Escape Room in the Student Union Ballroom. Magicians will also perform during the event.
The Yell Like Hell Pep Rally will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31, on the Student Union porch and in the courtyard. The Homecoming Week tradition will feature music by the Pride of Acadiana Marching Band. Members of the football team and head coach Billy Napier, cheerleaders, and the Ragin’ Jazz dance team will attend.
On Friday, Nov. 1, the Bill Bass Open Golf Tournament will begin at 10:30 a.m. at Les Vieux Chenes Golf Course. Golfers will enjoy food and camaraderie before a noon tee time for the four-person scramble.
The National Panhellinic Greek Expo will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Cajundome Convention Center. Fraternity and sorority members will perform during the step show.
Homecoming Day begins with an open house from 9-11:30 a.m. at the Alumni Center. Attendees can connect with fellow alumni, enjoy breakfast and beverages, and watch the Homecoming Parade from the center’s front lawn.
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at Blackham Coliseum. The parade will travel from Johnston Street to St. Mary Boulevard, then right onto the boulevard. A float carrying the queen, the king and their courts will stop in front of the Alumni Center for a toast by University President Dr. Joseph Savoie.
The game day Cajun Walk will start at 1:30 p.m. on Reinhardt Drive. The Pride of Acadiana Marching Band’s pregame performance will be at 3:45 p.m. at Cajun Field.
That night, the Christiana Smith African-American Alumni Chapter will celebrate its annual Sweet Sounds of Sharing. Proceeds from the reception will benefit the Christiana Smith endowed scholarship fund. The event will be held at 8 p.m. at Angell Hall with a reception following in the Alumni Center.
The Homecoming 2019 sponsor is Home Bank.
Learn more about Homecoming 2019.