Homecoming Weekend 2025: September 25-28
Welcome home, Dawgs!
We can’t wait to see you on campus for Homecoming 2025!
Take part in a tailgate, visit your favorite spots on campus, and celebrate with fellow Bulldogs! Make sure to RSVP and let us know which tailgate you’ll be joining.
For a full list of events, see below.
Alumni Award Honorees
The Alumni Association is honored to recognize our 2025 Alumni Award honorees for their commitment to the University and to their communities. Award honorees will be recognized at a special, private event, the Alumni Recognition Ceremony, on September 26, 2025, during Butler’s annual Homecoming festivities.
Bulldog Beauty Contest
A Homecoming favorite, Blue IV hosts the 24th annual contest. This is a must-attend event for all Bulldog fans!
Homecoming Weekend Schedule:
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Butler Esports Open House
Esports Park
Stop by to enjoy food, drinks, music, and free-to-play games. Guests can sign up to receive 20% off a month’s membership.
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM | Founder’s College Tour
South Campus, Room 106
Join Founder’s College’s new team members, stop in and see the college, meet some of their students, and explore the four degrees (business management, youth and community advocacy, healthcare studies, and data analytics) offered at Founder’s College.
6:00 PM | Back to Butler, Back to Nature: A Homecoming Tour of Butler’s Rewilded Spaces
Meet outside Gate 4 of Hinkle Fieldhouse
Join Butler’s Office of Sustainability for a one-hour walking tour exploring the campus’s rewilded spaces. Discover native perennial plantings, thriving rain gardens, no-mow zones, and the beautifully restored Holcomb Gardens—redesigned in collaboration with the Indiana Native Plant Society and Butler’s Manager of Grounds and Landscaping. This will be a challenging walk. Participants should be prepared to walk 1.5 miles on mostly paved or 1.25 miles on wooded walking trails.
Free. RSVP is required; please click here to register.
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Gathering
Guggman Haus Brewing Company (1701 Gent Ave.)
There will be networking with the current team from 6:00-7:00 PM, followed by an alumni social hour from 8:00-9:00 PM. Please click here to register.
7:00 PM | Holcomb Planetarium Show and Telescope Viewing
Holcomb Observatory & Planetarium
Doors open at 7:00 PM. Planetarium shows are at 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM. There will be telescope viewing after the planetarium show, weather permitting. Admission for the planetarium programming is $5 for children and students under 18 years, and $8 for adults (Butler faculty, staff, & students are free with a Butler University ID). We accept cash or credit.
7:00 PM | Butler Men’s Soccer Alumni Social
Wildman Room, Hinkle Fieldhouse
RSVP required.
Join the current Men’s Soccer team and Coaching Staff for a gathering in the Wildman Room. Catch up with former teammates and hear updates on the current season. Please click here to register.
7:30 PM | FUNKFEST
Clowes Memorial Hall
Get ready to groove at FUNKFEST— it’s going down at Clowes Memorial Hall, and you do not want to miss this party! Hosted by the legendary Doug E. Fresh, the original human beatbox and hip-hop icon, this one-night-only celebration brings together some of the most iconic names in funk for a night you won’t soon forget. Get tickets.
Live performances include:
Con Funk Shun – delivering their signature blend of smooth ballads and high-energy dance tracks
The Original Lakeside – bringing the party with classics like Fantastic Voyage
Midnight Star – lighting up the stage with their timeless electro-funk hits
Al Hudson & One Way – laying down the grooves that defined a generation
Downstroke – performing a special 30-minute tribute to Parliament Funkadelic, honoring the pioneers of funk with the sound, spirit, and style that started it all.
8:00 AM | Tailgating Opens
Hinkle Fieldhouse
Tailgate parking packages must be purchased in advance. Packages are $225 and include two tailgate spots (1 vehicle parking + 1 additional spot for tailgating activities) and four general admission football tickets. Only 1 vehicle per tailgate pass is allowed. Parking passes will be sent via FedEx to purchasers in advance of the game. The 4 general admission tickets will be loaded into their Butler Sports App. The tailgate lot will open at 8:00 AM. Upon arrival, tailgaters will be placed in either the West or East Hinkle lot. Limit of two passes per account. Purchase your pass here. No spots will be sold on game day, and packages will likely sell out. Please review the Gameday Parking and Tailgate Policy.
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Cru Alumni Gathering
519 W. Hampton Dr. (right next to BUPD)
Come by for donuts, coffee, and apple cider. No RSVP is necessary, but contact Jeff Daratony with questions at jdaraton@butler.edu.
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Bulldog Boulevard - Butler’s Biggest Tailgate! presented by Elements Financial, Butler’s Credit Union
Hinkle Fieldhouse West Parking Lot
Join the fun at Butler’s Biggest Tailgate! All tailgates are open to the Butler community to join and mingle. Bring food, drinks, chairs, friends, and come and go as you please to this exciting atmosphere. The area also includes easy access to the Food Truck Festival and Family Fun Fest.
Bulldog Boulevard Tailgates from different campus areas and communities, including:
College of Communication (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (10:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
College of Education (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
Founder’s College (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
Lacy School of Business and MBA Alumni Community (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
Jordan College of the Arts (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
Athletics (10:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
Family Reunion Tailgate (open to everyone, see below)
Elements Financial (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Alumni Association Tailgate
Bulldog Boulevard, Hinkle Fieldhouse Parking Lot
FREE
Stop by the Alumni Association Tent as you enter Bulldog Boulevard! Get all the details for the weekend and some Butler swag!
9:00 AM | Butler Family Reunion Tailgate
Hinkle Fieldhouse Parking Lot
FREE; Reservation Requested
Butler grads and current students are welcome to stop by to make connections at this annual gathering hosted by Kent ’94 and Brittney ’94 Greer. Enjoy some Butler hospitality at one of the biggest tailgates at Homecoming!
9:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Compass Center Open House and Tours for Alumni
The Compass Center – 4615 Sunset Avenue
FREE. Reservations are requested but not required.
Explore updates to the Compass Center and meet the new director. Tours will be available. Light refreshments will be served. Please complete the Homecoming registration to indicate your participation.
9:30 AM | Hink’s VIP Huddle
West End, Hinkle Fieldhouse Lot
FREE for Members of Butler Giving Societies at President’s Club level and above
Butler donors of the President’s Club, Fairview Heritage Society, Butler Way Society, and Carillon Society are invited to join us for a VIP Experience at the Bulldog Beauty Contest. We invite you to stop by for complimentary food and refreshments and enjoy the Bulldog Beauty Contest (10:00 AM) from our reserved seating area. Reservations are requested.
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Butler Esports Open House
Esports Park
Stop by to enjoy food, drinks, music, and free-to-play games. Guests can sign up to receive 20% off a month’s membership.
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Food Truck Festival
Bus Turn-Around at 49th and Sunset
Returning to Homecoming, alumni and fans can visit food truck vendors throughout the morning.
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Family Fun Fest
Hinkle Fieldhouse Parking Lot
FREE
Bring the entire family to Family Fun Fest. Activities for all ages will be offered for families to enjoy campus.
10:00 AM | 24th Annual Butler Bulldog Beauty Contest, Presented by Build Ford Tough Trucks
Hinkle Fieldhouse Parking Lot
FREE
A Homecoming favorite, Blue IV hosts the 24th annual contest. This is a must-attend event for all Bulldog fans!
Click here to register a bulldog to participate.
1:00 PM | Butler Bulldogs vs. Marist
Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl
Tickets are $12 for General Admission. Youth tickets are available for $8 at the gate. Visit Butlersports.com/buytickets to purchase tickets in advance.
Another option for the game is a Sellick Bowl Cabana, which includes access for up to 12 people to watch the game from a private area overlooking the field. Learn more or purchase here.
4:00 PM | Women’s Soccer vs. Providence
Varsity Field
Tickets are FREE for all fans!
Reconnect before kickoff—Women’s Soccer alumni check in at Varsity Field at 3:00 PM for the annual reunion. Please RSVP here in advance.
7:00 PM | Holcomb Planetarium Show and Telescope Viewing
Holcomb Observatory & Planetarium
Doors open at 7:00 PM. Planetarium shows are at 7:30 PM and 8:30 PM. There will be telescope viewing after the planetarium show, weather permitting. Admission for the planetarium programming is $5 for children and students under 18 yrs, and $8 for adults (Butler faculty, staff, & students are free with Butler University ID). We accept cash or credit.
7:00 PM | Men’s Soccer vs. Akron
Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl
Tickets are $8 for General Admission Adults. Youth tickets are available for $5 at the gate. Visit Butlersports.com/buytickets to purchase tickets in advance.
7:00 PM & 11:00 PM | Comedy Jam (two performances)
Clowes Memorial Hall
Get ready, Indianapolis! On Friday, September 27, Comedy Jam is taking over Clowes Memorial Hall for one epic night of side-splitting comedy you won’t forget. This is not just a show — it’s a full-on comedy experience featuring a powerhouse lineup of some of the funniest voices in the game.
Headlining the night is the quick-witted and charismatic DeRay Davis, known for his roles in hit films like Barbershop and his stand-up specials that keep crowds roaring. Joining him is social media sensation turned comedy star Jess Hilarious, bringing her bold, unfiltered humor to the stage with a fresh and fearless style that’s made her one of the most exciting acts in comedy today. Also bringing the heat is the legendary Earthquake, whose raw, real-life storytelling and signature delivery have made him a favorite on HBO, Netflix, and across the globe. You’ll also catch the high-octane energy and outrageous punchlines of Tony Roberts, a crowd favorite who never holds back and always leaves audiences in stitches. And don’t miss Ambur James, a rising comedic force bringing sharp observations and fierce personality to round out this dynamic lineup. Tickets are going fast, and this show will sell out!
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Butler Esports Open House
Esports Park
Stop by to enjoy food, drinks, music, and free-to-play games. Guests can sign up to receive 20% off a month’s membership.
4:00 PM | Catholic Mass
Sweeney Chapel, South Campus
All are welcome to attend.
Where to Stay During Homecoming
Special rates are available at select hotel properties for guests attending Homecoming Weekend (subject to availability). We recommend booking early, as most hotels require reservations to be made at least two weeks in advance.
To view participating hotels and book your stay, please click here.
When making your reservation, please identify yourself as a member of the Butler family and ask for the Butler rate.
Reunion and Milestone Celebrations
If you are a member of a class or an organization celebrating a milestone, we would be happy to help promote your event or gathering. Please contact alumni@butler.edu with the details for your celebration to be included in the Homecoming schedule.