1924
The First Homecoming
Howard alumni wrestle with a perennial question: How to get their peers, spread all across the country, to reunite? They decide to arrange a homecoming during Howard’s annual football game against Lincoln University. The first event features a bonfire and dances. “In laying aside important duties to be present on this auspicious occasion, you are making traditions which will live as long as Howard lives,” the Hilltop student newspaper writes to alums.
1937
Crowning a Queen
The Hilltop announces the first annual homecoming-queen competition, in which female students will fight for the title of Queen of the Gridiron. The student body votes for history major Ada Deans, kicking off a tradition that will become one of the school’s biggest events of the year.
1961
Music Takes Center Stage
Students gather in Howard’s Cramton Auditorium for what the Hilltop describes as the first homecoming concert, with jazz vocalist Gloria Lynne headlining. In the years that follow, big-name musicians play the concert, including Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, and Ike and Tina Turner. By the 1990s, famous hip-hop and R&B acts perform, including Outkast, Ice Cube, and Boyz II Men.
1966
Change in the Air
At the dawn of the Black Power movement, a group of law students, who feel the homecoming-queen competition upholds white beauty standards, decide to press for change. In a radical move for the time, they nominate student Robin Gregory, who wears her hair in a closely cropped Afro. She becomes the first homecoming queen to wear her hair natural.
1976
Showing Up for the Step Show
Howard’s first official “Greek Show” lets Black fraternities and sororities showcase their stepping routines. The event proves hugely popular and influential, soon drawing an audience far beyond Howard students and alums.
1988
Celebs on Campus
Organizers host a mixer where students can mingle with celebrities such as LL Cool J and Dick Gregory. Homecoming increasingly attracts celebrities. In later years, record labels host parties to showcase new talent, and Tyra Banks hands out autographs at an annual fashion show. Taraji P. Henson serves as grand marshal of one parade. The Notorious B.I.G. makes a surprise appearance in 1995.
1996
Yardfest Takes Off
What used to be called Howardfest, a food-and-entertainment festival held on the grassy heart of campus, evolves into Yardfest. The event features the R&B quartet Shai. Yardfest eventually becomes synonymous with homecoming, hosting big-name performers like Kanye West and Jay-Z.
2012
Drake Causes a Commotion
The headliner is 2 Chainz, but what happens after his set proves more memorable: Drake comes on for a surprise performance, and the exhilarated crowd rushes toward the stage. The response is intense enough that the following year’s Yardfest is ticketed, with reduced capacity and a chain-link fence, though the changes prove to be temporary.
2026
More Than a Century Later
The 102nd homecoming, held in October, continues traditions such as the student fashion show and Yardfest, along with newer additions like a reception celebrating the LGBTQ community. Whose performance will everyone be talking about this year? At press time, that’s still a secret: Head-liners aren’t announced until the day of the show.
