Homecoming 2024

We can’t wait to welcome you back to campus for Homecoming! Please view our list of hotel partners when planning your travel to town. Please contact the Office of Butler Community Engagement at 317-940-9946 or alumni@butler.edu with any questions.

Register for Homecoming

Click Here to Register!

Schedule of Events

Monday, September 30

Be a part of revitalizing Holcomb Gardens. Sign up for a 75-minute volunteer shift on Monday, September 30, and help replant with native plants. No gardening experience is required, and all supplies will be provided.

Thursday, October 3

7:00 PM | 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.

The Division of DEI, Butler Athletics, and the Latinx Alumni Association have partnered to host Hispanic Heritage Night on October 3 and 4 at Butler soccer games! Join us as we cheer on our soccer teams and enjoy concessions and special programming. Full-time, undergraduate students can get in free with their Butler IDs. All other community members can purchase tickets here.

7:00 PM | Clowes Memorial Hall

Jim Gaffigan is a seven-time Grammy-nominated comedian, actor, writer, producer, two-time New York Times best-selling author, three-time Emmy-winning top touring performer, and multi-platinum-selling recording artist. He is known around the world for his unique brand of humor, which largely revolves around his observations on life. Learn more and reserve your tickets.

Friday, October 4

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Meet in front of Dugan Hall 625 Butler Way

In 2022 the Indianapolis Business Journal released the “Top 10 Architecturally Wonderous Buildings in Indianapolis” – which names three Butler University buildings. Join us for a walk through Butler’s campus to admire the architecture of the buildings and grounds. This campus walk will learn about J.I. Holcomb’s vision that brought the Gardens, Bell Tower, and Observatory which bear his name, the brutalist Clowes Memorial Hall, the Collegiate Gothic Arthur Jordan Memorial Hall, and the New Formalism of Irwin Library, among many more. Golf cart transportation is available if needed. The cost to participate is $10, and you can Register Here.

7:00 PM | 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.

2024 Alumni Awards

The Butler University Alumni Association will honor individuals for their commitment to the University and to their communities at this year’s Homecoming celebration. Award honorees will be recognized at a private event on October 4. Click the buttons to the right to learn more about this year’s recipients or to find more information and submit nominations for future honorees.

2024 Recipients Nomination Form

Saturday, October 5

Tailgaiting Opens
8:00 AM | Hinkle Fieldhouse

Tailgate parking packages are now SOLD OUT. Packages 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. Please review the Gameday Parking and Tailgate Policy.
Tickets to the game are still available, and fans attending the game may park in the campus garage. Visit butlersports.com/buytickets to purchase tickets to the game.

Butler Gear Clothing Drive
HRC Lobby

The pilot Butler Thrift Store is accepting exclusively Butler-branded clothing. This pilot project is a student-led business where students will engage in the planning, developing, and executing of a mission of waste reduction and maximize community impact in sustainability. The Butler Thrift Store will use your donations and sell them to our Butler community as affordable goods. Collection bins will be located at the Heath and Recreation Complex’s east entrance. Please note we will not accept undergarments, torn or stained clothing, or shoes.

23rd Annual Bulldog Beauty Contest presented by Built Ford Tough Trucks

A Homecoming favorite, Blue IV hosts the 23rd annual contest in the Hinkle Fieldhouse Parking Lot. This free event is a must-attend for all Bulldog fans! The Contest will begin at 10:00 AM.

Bulldog Boulevard – Butler’s Biggest Tailgate! presented by Elements Financial, Butler’s Credit Union

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | 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, and 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 will include the following tailgates:

Elements Financial
B-Association (former Student-Athletes) | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
College of Communication | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
College of Education | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | 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

Individual Tailgate parking packages are also available for purchase via TicketMaster. Tailgaters will be placed in both the East and West lots this year, and the lots open at 8:00 AM. Please see Athletics’ complete tailgating policy.

Alumni Association Tailgate
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM | 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!

Butler Family Reunion Tailgate
9:00 AM | 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!

9:30 AM | West End, Hinkle Fieldhouse lot
FREE for Members of Butler Giving Societies at the President’s Club level and above

Butler donors of the President’s Club, Fairview Heritage Society, The 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 area. Reservations are requested.

Class of 1984 40th Reunion Tailgate
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Bulldog Boulevard, Hinkle Fieldhouse Lot

Members of the Class of 1984 are invited to tailgate and reconnect with classmates in the heart of the Homecoming tailgate. The area is free to attend, and guests are welcome to bring their own chairs, coolers, and games to enjoy the morning. Join the Class of 1984 Facebook page to connect with classmates and keep up to date with the latest news and updates from the class.

Class of 1974 50th Reunion Tailgate
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Bulldog Boulevard, Hinkle Fieldhouse Lot

Members of the Class of 1974 are invited to tailgate and reconnect with classmates in the heart of the Homecoming tailgate. The area is free to attend, and guests are welcome to bring their own chairs, coolers, and games to enjoy the morning.

5:00 PM & 8:00 PM | Clowes Memorial Hall

Jim Gaffigan is a seven-time Grammy-nominated comedian, actor, writer, producer, two-time New York Times best-selling author, three-time Emmy-winning top touring performer, and multi-platinum-selling recording artist. He is known around the world for his unique brand of humor, which largely revolves around his observations on life. Learn more and reserve your tickets.