Oct 18, 2023

UNI celebrates Panther Country at Homecoming 2023

The University of Northern Iowa’s annual Homecoming festivities are in full swing on campus, celebrating all things purple and gold.

The weekend begins with a momentous event on campus to mark an important step forward in the future of the University of Northern Iowa. On Friday at 11 a.m. we will come together to celebrate a stronger tomorrow on the south lawn of Curris Business Building. For those who can’t join us in person, we’ll be sharing this moment in history live on our UNI social media channels and YouTube.

Later that day, it’s time for Panther Country, with a Homecoming bash and concert on central campus from 5 to 9 p.m. The event will feature fun, food and drinks for purchase, and a free country concert from musician and UNI alum Justin Adams.

The Homecoming parade returns to downtown Cedar Falls at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with the theme of “Panther Country.” Due to road construction, this year’s parade will take a different route than years past. The parade will begin at 6th Street and travel north along Main Street, before turning to the east at 2nd Street. The path will then head back south along State Street, once again ending at 4th Street. Guests are encouraged to bring tote bags for candy and promotional items that parade participants will hand out.

This year’s grand marshal of the Homecoming parade is Judith Finkelstein, an alum of both the Iowa State Teachers College and University of Northern Iowa as well as former faculty member of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. For those who are unable to attend in person, the parade will be livestreamed from UNI’s YouTube channel.

UNI Homecoming parade

Before the Saturday football game against the University of North Dakota in the UNI-Dome starts at 4 p.m., there will be a Hy-Vee Tailgate west of the Dome at 1:30 p.m. The soccer team will round out the week of activities on Sunday with a match against Illinois State University at noon.

For complete details on Homecoming, visit homecoming.uni.edu.