The History of Homecoming Themes

The History of Homecoming Theme

As we head into Homecoming season, the options for week-of themes is a hot topic. From wearing class colors to finding someone to twin with, the themes find a way to include everyone and bring students and staff together.

The concept of Homecoming themes have originated from the early 20th century. Homecoming specifically originated in the south throughout many SEC schools in the United States, though the themes evolved later. 

When the concept of Homecoming first became a popular event it was exclusively for universities and colleges, and the event was specifically designed around football games and the football team alike. Though the idea then trickled down to high schools, and they adopted the event and its concepts as well. According to Your Teen Magazine the idea of Homecoming themes came into play throughout the 1930s and 1950s, so the idea of Homecoming is not new, nor did it originate within our area, its deep southern roots have an impact across the United States. 

Homecoming themes were created to increase participant participation, from students to faculty, themes were created to make things more enjoyable and eventful. Many schools introduced class colors and competitions to make the event more amusing and increase turnout among the institutions as reported by EBSCO. So Homecoming themes  in our building and district are not much different than the original Homecoming themes, maybe just more modernized than past years. 

In earlier times Homecoming themes were centered around class competition, and school spirit. Though given the time, Homecoming does have roots tied to the harvest and the season of autumn, as well as in the early 20th century “Harvest Carnivals” were popular among many colleges and universities. Oklahoma State University  themed their Homecoming around the coming harvest in 1913, focusing on their communities and sharing meals according to the Oklahoma State Alumni Association. 

Themes have also evolved with current times, nowadays we see themes like country versus country club or Adam Sandler day. Homecoming themes are like algorithms, they are centered around what is popular at the time, they may even be centered around current popular culture events, music, or even specific people. They are not always constant, they change with the times as well, bringing in more ideas and ways to express creativity among the student body.

Although some may see dressing up for  Homecoming themes as embarrassing or a nuisance, the themes are truly just a way to bring the student body together and just have fun, as it was intended to be when created. Homecoming week itself is fun and exciting for students, it brings us together in countless ways and can create new friendships and memories for many years to come.