Evergreen (and white): OHIO Homecoming 2026

With the leaves changing colors on the trees of the Appalachian hillsides, alumni (many with their hair also changing colors over the years) returned to Ohio University for Homecoming 2026. 

This year’s Homecoming celebration was held Oct. 5-10, and population of Athens increased noticeably as Bobcats from around the globe caught up with old friends, made new memories and enjoyed the magic Ohio University in the fall. 

The Homecoming Week events included the annual activities such as the Yell Like Hell pep rally, the Homecoming Parade, performances by the Marching 110 and the Alumni Band, and, of course, another Bobcat Football victory on Frank Solich Field in Peden Stadium. 

The week included new opportunities, too, including hearing from famed OHIO alumnus Peter King, who was inducted into the Communication Hall of Fame and spoke to the football team before their victory during his visit, and a new alumni tailgate before the football game. 

OHIO also honored several outstanding alumni during this year’s Ohio University Alumni Awards ceremony. 

Uptown Athens and campus were filled with happy smiles and joyful hugs, the weather was perfect for most of the week (even the rain on Saturday did nothing to dampen spirits), and it was a wonderful time to be a Bobcat! 

Of course, it’s always a great time to be a Bobcat! 

Homecoming Week included fun events such as the Bobcat Quest adventure, special displays in Alden Library and the annual food drive for the Cats’ Cupboard Food Pantry. 

The Yell Like Hell pep rally on the Thursday of Homecoming Week is always a way to celebrate a love of everything Ohio University. This year was no different, as the pep rally featured the Marching 110, several OHIO teams, special activities and large crowds of Bobcats who had a plenty of pep.  

The week also featured the Alumni Awards Ceremony, honoring a large number of Bobcats for their outstanding accomplishments. This year’s Alumna of the Year award went to Hon. Yvette McGee Brown. You can read more about all of the award winners here.

OHIO alumnus and acclaimed sports journalist Peter King was also very involved in this year’s Homecoming events. On the Friday of Homecoming Week, King hosted a special event with OHIO students where he discussed his career, offered advice and introduced his new book, "The Game.” 

On Saturday, King and OHIO alumnus Sedric Granger hosted the livestream of the OHIO Homecoming Parade for those who could not be at the parade in person.   

The crowd roars for the performances of the Marching 110, and when the Alumni Band performs, the crowd is thrilled and proud, while also a little curious about how they can still move like that. 

This year’s parade was filled with memorable floats and proud Bobcats, and the large crowed enjoyed cheering for their favorite groups while they also gathered more candy than anyone should eat. It’s ok, though, we are eating candy for OHIO. 

After the parade, Bobcats of all ages gathered for alumni events, tailgating and preparing for the OHIO Football game against Central Michigan. 

OHIO jumped out to a huge lead in the game and cruised to another victory behind an outstanding performance from the whole team. You can read more about the Homecoming victory here. 

The game also featured outstanding  performances from the Marching 110 and the Alumni Band, and a large crowd. And while rain fell during the game, the crowd was loud and energetic, cheering on the Bobcats and enjoying the day. 

It was great way to cap off Homecoming 2026. 

This year’s Homecoming was a perfect way to celebrate OHIO, and that’s thanks to all of our Bobcats here at OHIO and around the world. OHIO is much more than a campus; it is our students, faculty, staff and alumni. You each make OHIO special and we love to celebrate you each year at Homecoming. 

Thanks for making Homecoming 2026 so special. We are already planning for and can’t wait to see everyone at Homecoming 2027.