Why do schools have homecoming? If you’d asked high school me, she would have said it’s so I could dress up like Goth Barbie and make out with my boyfriend. If you’d asked college me, she would have said it’s so I could dress up like Millennial Barbie and dance with my roommates because the boyfriend was long gone (and good riddance). But if you ask adult me … it’s for the memories. So many iconic school memories center around homecoming week and traditions. But what is homecoming, really, and how did it get its start? It isn’t actually about school dances or even football—or, at least, it wasn’t originally.
“In a time when so many of our civic traditions have faded—from local volunteer clubs to neighborhood gatherings—homecomings remain one of the last great rituals of American community life,” says Raj Vinnakota, an expert on higher education and the president of the Institute of Citizens and Scholars. “You don’t need a kid on the field or a name in the program to belong. Showing up for your town, simply because it’s yours, is one of the most meaningful things we can still do together.”
As it turns out, this hallowed fall rite of passage, which is a staple in both American high schools and colleges, has a surprisingly scholarly origin. Read on to find out all the details from Vinnakota and fellow experts Scott Allen, the senior vice president of Post University who oversees alumni relations, and Marie Nicola, a pop-culture historian and the creator of Past // Forward, a weekly newsletter that decodes cultural trends through historical insight. And yes, homecoming does involve football, but also a little school history, a lot of glitter and possibly an 18-foot mum corsage (more on that in a sec).
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What is the history of homecoming?
It began in higher education, and like any great origin story, this one comes with controversy. Several universities—including Baylor, Missouri and Illinois—have all claimed to be the first to invent homecoming in the early 1900s. In 1909, Baylor hosted an alumni gathering that centered around a football game, but the University of Missouri generally gets credit for hosting the first official homecoming event.
In 1911, head football coach Chester Brewer invited alumni to “come home” for the Missouri-Kansas football game and take part in a weekend of rallies, speeches and school pride. The turnout—more than 9,000 people—was so successful that it became an annual tradition. The idea quickly spread to other colleges, especially in the Midwest and South, where football rivalries were already central to campus identity.
And it quickly became about much more than just football. “It was a chance to reconnect with old friends, relive favorite memories and show off that unwavering school spirit,” Allen says. “Over time, it grew into the full week of festivities many campuses enjoy today.”
Today, college homecoming is often more focused on alumni than current students, but it still features many of the same traditions: football, tailgates and loads of school spirit.
Was there anything similar to homecoming before this?
Nicola points out that before Mizzou branded the event in 1911, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were already hosting their own return rituals in the late 19th century. “For HBCUs, these gatherings were about survival,” she says. “They kept schools funded, honored collective memory and built networks when the larger world offered exclusion.”
By the 1890s, alumni of schools like Howard, Fisk, Tuskegee and Shaw were coming back for Founder’s Day, Jubilee Day and Charter Day. These weekends blended celebration with purpose—raising funds, reaffirming community and showcasing Black excellence through step shows, gospel brunches and, yes, football. By the time Howard University hosted its first “official” homecoming in 1924, decades of tradition were already in place.
“HBCUs didn’t create the concept of modern homecoming,” Nicola says, “but they reimagined it as a layered cultural ritual rooted in intergenerational memory, solidarity and joy.”
This tradition spread to other schools around the country, and now most schools have some type of homecoming celebration every fall, shortly after school starts.
Why is it called homecoming?
Because you’re literally coming home—well, sort of. The idea is that alumni return “home” to their school to reconnect with friends, traditions and the oddly specific scent of Old Spice cologne and sweat wafting through the hallways (if we happen to be talking about a high school homecoming).
“The name says it all,” Allen says. “It’s a tradition that invites alumni, former faculty and retired administrators back to celebrate the school they once called home. It’s also a chance for current students to connect with alumni and build valuable networking relationships.”
When did homecoming also become a high school tradition?
By the 1920s and ’30s, the concept of homecoming had moved beyond college campuses. High schools began adopting the idea, along with other collegiate customs like letter grades.
At first, high school homecomings were modeled closely on their college counterparts: a football game against a rival, alumni invited back, and a school dance. The appeal was obvious—it gave communities, not just students, a reason to gather in the fall. By the mid-20th century, homecoming was nearly universal in U.S. high schools, from small rural towns to big-city districts. Today, it’s rare to find a high school without some form of homecoming celebration, and nearly half of Americans say they attended their high school homecoming dance, according to a 2023 YouGov survey.
It’s also mostly a unique American tradition. You won’t see much like it in Europe, where sports are organized through clubs instead of schools and alumni culture is less tied to individual institutions.
What are some homecoming traditions?
Once the concept caught on, schools all over the country started adding their own spin to the celebration. “Every school puts its own twist on homecoming traditions,” Allen says. “The goal is to create experiences that are fun, meaningful and unforgettable—the kind of memories that draw students back year after year.”
While colleges and high schools share many homecoming traditions, some are more common in one setting than the other. Here are a few of the most beloved—and bizarre:
The football game
Ah, the cornerstone of American pageantry: men in helmets crashing into one another while people scream and throw popcorn. The homecoming football game is traditionally played against a rival team and is usually more about boosting school spirit than actual athletic dominance (though don’t tell the quarterback that). Nicola notes that at HBCUs, the game itself has long been more than just sport—it’s been a stage for style, pride and community presence. “People came not just for the football,” she says. “They came for one another.”
The homecoming dance
This is usually the main event at high schools, where gymnasiums transform into “enchanted forests” or “Hollywood nights” with the help of string lights, helium balloons and the collective hope that no one’s date does anything too embarrassing. Unlike prom, which is typically reserved for upperclassmen, homecoming is open to everyone. So it’s often your first chance to wear uncomfortable shoes, slow-dance awkwardly and pretend you’re not sweating through your dress shirt.
Some students go with a date, others in a big group and a few bold souls go solo—which, frankly, is the power move. Bonus points if you somehow end up dancing to Cotton Eye Joe in a circle with 300 other people who also don’t know the words. It’s tradition.
Homecoming king and queen
These were the original high school influencers. This tradition started in the mid–20th century and has evolved to include courts, duchesses and the like. It’s essentially a popularity contest dressed up with crowns and, sometimes, actual thrones. Nicola says these kinds of rituals, while lighthearted on the surface, help reinforce the communal nature of the event. It’s not just about who gets the most votes and wears the crown; it’s about celebrating the people who help define the spirit of a school.
Spirit week
Because nothing says school pride like wearing pajamas on a Tuesday. Spirit week typically includes themed dress-up days like “Decades Day” or “Twin Day,” and it culminates in a big pep rally. Football players and cheerleaders often wear uniforms to school on this day to hype the weekend’s game.
Mum corsages
Texans, this one’s for you. In the Lone Star State, homecoming mums are massive corsages made from silk flowers (usually a chrysanthemum), ribbons, bells and sometimes entire stuffed animals and battery-powered lights. Traditionally, a boy gives a girl one of these elaborate corsages, made to showcase her personality, interests and school pride. They’re basically wearable folk art. You can read a person’s story in the details—the colors, the charms, the little inside jokes hidden in the ribbons. These mums are worn to the game, school and other alumni events. (And yes, there’s usually glitter. So much glitter.)
The tradition dates back to at least 1936, when Baylor University students exchanged simple fresh-flower chrysanthemums for homecoming. By the 1950s and ’60s, silk flowers replaced real ones for durability, and in the 1970s and ’80s, Texas’s DIY culture and craft-store boom helped mums explode in size and creativity.
Homecoming floats
Parades aren’t just for Macy’s. Many schools build elaborate floats, often featuring crepe paper, questionable safety protocols and students clinging to them while screaming the fight song. It’s a chaotic joyfest, and someone always ends up with glitter in their braces.
Floats typically depict the school mascot, interpretations of the year’s homecoming theme or scenes celebrating school history, rivalries and community pride. Some feature sports teams, cheer squads or local clubs, while others get a little more … creative. Think: giant papier-mâché mascots, fairy-tale castles or a scene mocking the school’s main rival. Every aspect of homecoming, including the parade and floats, is designed “to reflect the rich diversity of the community,” Allen says.
Bonfires
This tradition has some of the oldest roots, as universities have used spontaneous campus bonfires to celebrate sports victories and “ward off rivals” since the late 1800s. By the 1920s through 1950s, bonfires became a staple of homecoming across campuses, aligning with football weekends and often constructed by freshmen, sometimes structured in geometric tiers matching their graduating year. Now, they often feature a ceremonial burning of the rival school’s mascot in effigy. (Sorry, fake tiger head.) Nothing says “school spirit” like teenagers lighting symbolic enemies on fire while a marching band plays.
Note: Though once widespread, safety concerns—most notably, the tragic 1999 collapse at Texas A&M that killed 12—prompted many schools to reconsider or overhaul this practice.
Toilet-papering houses
In certain towns, it’s tradition for students to TP the houses of the homecoming court nominees, cheerleaders and football players—but in a loving, celebratory way, obviously. That said, since the great toilet-paper shortage of 2020 and the increase in TP prices, this is becoming less common.
Skit or dance battles
Some schools host homecoming lip-sync or dance battles between grades, teachers or even entire sports teams. Watching your principal do a full Beyoncé routine? Unforgettable. Possibly traumatic, but unforgettable.
“Ask” traditions (aka HoCo proposals)
The rise of the “HoCo-posal” has taken school dances to new levels of performance. Students now stage elaborate prom-style asks involving signs, puns, costumes, musical numbers and occasionally livestock. (“I’d be moo-ved if you went to HoCo with me.”)
How has the homecoming tradition changed over the past decade?
Like most traditions, homecoming has evolved. In recent years, schools have updated homecoming to be more inclusive and reflective of changing student values. Royal courts now often include all genders, and ticket prices—which, in the past, could run anywhere from $25 to $75 for a formal dance—are being kept lower or paired with free events so cost isn’t a barrier. The week’s activities have also expanded beyond football, with schools adding festivals, service projects, talent shows and multicultural performances.
Social media has turned homecoming into less of a school event and more of a full-blown production. Outfits are planned months in advance, photo backdrops are basically red-carpet-ready and “HoCo reveal” videos get more buildup than some movie premieres. There are playlists, theme hashtags and pep rallies you can livestream from the comfort of your couch. Sure, it’s all about the aesthetics—but Vinnakota says it’s also about carving out those rare, real-life moments when people are actually in the same place, looking at one another instead of their phones. And that’s a good thing.
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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on what homecoming is, Charlotte Hilton Anderson tapped her experience as a longtime journalist who often covers common curiosities and facts for Reader’s Digest. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Rajiv Vinnakota, president of the Institute of Citizens and Scholars; email interview, Aug. 7, 2025
- Scott Allen, senior vice president at Post University in charge of institutional advancement and alumni relations; email interview, Aug. 7, 2025
- Marie Nicola, pop-culture historian and the creator of Past // Forward; phone interview, Aug. 8, 2025
- Mizzou Alumni Association: “The History of Homecoming”
- Mumentous: “History of Homecoming Mums: The OG is a Chrysanthemum”
- YouGov: “Dancing, dating, and drinking: Americans recall their high school dances”
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