25 Homecoming Week Ideas for High Schools and Colleges

Homecoming week is five days of spirit days, one pep rally, one carnival and one night event, and the student council or the activities board has to fill all of it. The weeks that work give each day one thing to do that is not a costume: a photo booth loading decade backdrops on Decades Day, a Mechanical Bull at the pep rally with a longest-ride leaderboard by class, a five-booth carnival on the quad Friday afternoon and a glow night after the game. Every idea below is a rental, which means one delivery and no volunteer building anything the night before.

Here are 25 homecoming week ideas organized by the day they fill: spirit week activities, pep rally attractions, the homecoming carnival and the night events. Every one of them is rentable from the carnival and picnic games collection at Perfect Parties USA, and each comes with a planning tip on staffing, space or permits, whether your school is in Boston, Worcester or Providence.

Spirit Week Activities

One rental per day that gives the spirit theme something to do at lunch.

1. Decades Day Photos

Green Screen Photo Booth: Students pose and the green screen drops them into a 1970s gym, a 1990s hallway or the stadium in 1985, printed or texted on the spot. Planning Tip: Load one backdrop per decade and let the classes compete for the best group shot. Rent the Green Screen Photo Booth.

2. School Initials in Lights

LED Letters: Marquee LED letters spelling the school initials or the year at the cafeteria entrance for the week. Planning Tip: Put them where the morning announcements film so they show up in every clip. Rent the LED Letters.

3. A 360 Spirit Booth

360 Photo Booth: A 360 photo booth that films a slow-motion spin of every spirit day outfit. Planning Tip: Run it on Color Day and post the best spins before dismissal. Rent the 360 Photo Booth.

4. A Face Painting Chair

Makeup Artist: A professional makeup artist painting school colors on a steady line of faces on Color Day. Planning Tip: Post a menu of five quick designs so each turn stays under five minutes. Book the Makeup Artist.

5. A Spirit Shop Booth

Custom Deluxe Carnival Booth with Marquee: A striped carnival booth with the school name on the marquee, as the spirit shop or the ticket table for the week. Planning Tip: Sell the carnival wristbands and the dance tickets from it all week. Rent the Custom Deluxe Carnival Booth with Marquee.

Pep Rally Attractions

The pieces that turn a gym assembly into an event.

6. The Mechanical Bull

Mechanical Bull: A mechanical bull on an inflatable landing bed with an operator setting the ride for every rider. Planning Tip: Run a longest-ride leaderboard by class and let the seniors go last. Rent the Mechanical Bull.

7. Big Glove Boxing

Big Glove Boxing: Oversized inflatable gloves in an inflatable ring. Planning Tip: Two-minute rounds with a teacher referee, and pair the class presidents. Rent the Big Glove Boxing.

8. The Bungee Run

Bungee Run: Two runners in bungee harnesses race down parallel lanes to plant a marker. Planning Tip: Score the farthest marker per class across three runs. Rent the Bungee Run.

9. The High Striker

High Striker: Swing the mallet, ring the bell, and settle every argument about which class is strongest. Planning Tip: Post the day’s best hits by class on a whiteboard. Rent the High Striker.

10. The Speed Pitch Cage

Speed Pitch Cage: A radar gun clocks every throw in a 12 by 8 foot cage that fits a gym. Planning Tip: Let the coaches throw last and post the top ten by class. Rent the Speed Pitch Cage.

11. The Field Goal Challenge

Field Goal Challenge: Kick field goals through an inflatable upright from marked distances. Planning Tip: Run a sudden-death kickoff between the top two before the team comes out. Rent the Field Goal Challenge.

12. QB Blitz

QB Blitz: Throw footballs through the targets for points, three throws per turn. Planning Tip: Put the quarterback on the line first and let everyone try to beat the score. Rent the QB Blitz.

The Homecoming Carnival

Friday afternoon on the quad or the field, run on a punch card.

13. A Five-Booth Fall Midway

Fall Carnival Stalls (5): Five striped fall booths in one package: Apple Toss, Crow Knock Down, Pumpkin Darts, Ring A Corn and Scarecrow Tooth Knock Down. Planning Tip: Sell a punch card at the spirit shop booth and hand out a prize for a full card. Rent the Fall Carnival Stalls package.

14. The Carnival Game Trailer

Carnival Game Trailer: A trailer with a full row of carnival games built into it, one delivery for most of a midway. Planning Tip: It is the shortcut for a student council with a short volunteer list. Rent the Carnival Game Trailer.

15. Giant Plinko

Giant Plinko: Drop a puck from the top and the slot decides the prize, from a sticker to dance tickets. Planning Tip: Load the dance tickets into the outside slots and the crowd watches every drop. Rent the Giant Plinko.

16. A Prize Wheel

Prize Wheel: A spin-to-win wheel where every slice pays out something. Planning Tip: Make a spin the reward for a full punch card. Rent the Prize Wheel.

17. A Corn Hole Bracket

Corn Hole: Full-size boards and a bracket on a whiteboard, seeded by class. Planning Tip: Play the final at the pep rally. Rent the Corn Hole set.

18. The Cob-stacle Course

Cob-stacle Course: A corn themed inflatable obstacle course, timed by class. Planning Tip: Post the best time for each class next to it; the rematches keep the line full. Rent the Cob-stacle Course.

19. Human Pig Racer

Human Pig Racer: Students in inflatable pig suits race a short course while the crowd cheers. Planning Tip: Schedule a teachers versus seniors heat; it draws the biggest crowd of the week. Rent the Human Pig Racer.

Night Events

For the glow night, the dance and the after-party.

20. Glow Games

Glow Games (category): The glow games collection, from black light basketball to glow curling, for a glow night in the gym after the game. Planning Tip: Kill the gym lights and the collection does the decorating. Rent the Glow Games (category).

21. Black Light Dodgeball

Black Light Dodgeball: Dodgeball under black light with glowing balls, the night event students ask for again. Planning Tip: Run a class bracket and let the winners play the teachers. Rent the Black Light Dodgeball.

22. Midnight Corn Hole

Midnight Corn Hole: Glow-in-the-dark corn hole boards for the tailgate after dark or the glow night. Planning Tip: Set them beside the concession line so the wait has a game. Rent the Midnight Corn Hole.

23. A Black Light Photo Booth

Black Light Photo Booth: A glow photo booth for the dance or the glow night, printed or texted on the spot. Planning Tip: Put the school initials and the year on the print. Rent the Black Light Photo Booth.

24. Glow Casino Night

Glow Casino (category): Glow-in-the-dark casino tables with dealers and funny money for a college after-party or an alumni event, with a prize auction at the end. Planning Tip: Give everyone the same chip count at the door. Rent the Glow Casino (category).

25. A Movie on the Lawn

Drive-In-Movie: An inflatable drive-in movie screen for a Thursday night movie on the field before the game. Planning Tip: Start 20 minutes after sunset and let the classes claim sections of the lawn. Rent the Drive-In-Movie.

How to Choose Homecoming Week Attractions for Your School

Start with your calendar and your permits. A high school student council fills the week with the spirit day rentals and the pep rally pieces, runs the carnival Friday afternoon on a punch card and ends with the glow night, and skips the bull and the casino unless the administration signs off; the carnival game ideas for school fairs and carnivals guide covers the ticket and volunteer plan. A college activities board runs the same week at scale, with the Mechanical Bull on the quad, the carnival trailer and the glow casino for the after-party, and the college carnival ideas for campus events guide covers the campus permitting pattern. For the tailgate before the game, the college tailgate ideas guide has the lot layout.

As a rule of thumb, plan for one attraction per spirit day, one game per 25 to 50 students at the carnival and one big draw per 150 to 200 at the pep rally, and book six to eight weeks ahead, because homecoming weeks across Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island land on the same three weeks of October. For Boston schools the carnival game rentals in Boston, MA page shows what is available locally.

Rent Homecoming Week Attractions From Perfect Parties USA

Perfect Parties USA is based in Peabody, Massachusetts and owns hundreds of attractions, including every rentable item on this list, so the games you book are the games that arrive, maintained and ready to play. Every rental includes delivery, professional setup, trained attendants and prizes for staffed games, and complete teardown. We are fully insured, with a certificate of insurance available for venues and schools, and we have produced events of every size across New England and the Northeast for decades, from Massachusetts, Boston, Connecticut and Rhode Island to New Hampshire and New York.

Ready to get this party started? Contact Perfect Parties USA to talk to one of our Party Pros. Request a Quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best homecoming week ideas for a high school?

The best high school homecoming week ideas are a photo booth with a backdrop for each spirit day, a face painting chair on Color Day, a pep rally with the High Striker, the Speed Pitch Cage and the Field Goal Challenge, a Friday carnival on a punch card and a glow night with black light dodgeball after the game. Perfect Parties USA runs that week for schools across New England.

What homecoming week ideas work for a college?

A college activities board runs the same week at scale: the Mechanical Bull on the quad with a longest-ride leaderboard by class, Big Glove Boxing and the Bungee Run at the pep rally, the Carnival Game Trailer for the Friday carnival and glow casino tables with dealers for the after-party. Perfect Parties USA provides the certificate of insurance and site plan campus facilities teams require.

How many attractions do you need for homecoming week?

Plan for one attraction per spirit day, one game per 25 to 50 students at the carnival and one big draw per 150 to 200 at the pep rally. A high school of 800 runs well on five spirit day rentals, three pep rally pieces, the five fall stalls and Giant Plinko for the carnival, and two glow night rentals. Perfect Parties USA sizes the week to your enrollment.

Can a student council rent homecoming attractions?

Yes, every attraction in this guide is available to rent, from the photo booths and the face painting chair to the pep rally inflatables, the fall carnival stalls and the glow games. Rentals from Perfect Parties USA include delivery, professional setup, trained operators and attendants, and complete teardown, and the school’s administration signs the rental agreement.

Does Perfect Parties USA deliver homecoming rentals to schools in Massachusetts and New England?

Yes, Perfect Parties USA delivers homecoming rentals to high schools and colleges across Massachusetts, including Boston, Worcester and the North Shore, and throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and New York. The company is based in Peabody, Massachusetts and works with athletic directors and campus facilities teams on load-in and permits.

Are inflatable attractions allowed in a school gym for a pep rally?

Most inflatables run in a gym on standard outlets, and the Speed Pitch Cage, Big Glove Boxing, the Bungee Run and the High Striker all fit under a gym ceiling. The Mechanical Bull needs a level footprint and administrative approval at a high school, so send the certificate of insurance and a floor plan to the athletic director early.

How far in advance should you book homecoming week rentals?

Book homecoming week rentals six to eight weeks ahead, and earlier for the Mechanical Bull, the Carnival Game Trailer and the glow games, which are reserved first for the October weeks when most New England schools hold homecoming. Booking early with Perfect Parties USA also leaves time for the permit and insurance paperwork.