Students, faculty and alumni embraced school spirit at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s annual Homecoming Parade on Friday, Oct. 2.
The parade featured over 70 entries composed of registered student organizations, UW-Madison leaders, local businesses and more, according to Shauna Breneman, the Wisconsin Union’s public relations and communications officer.
For many, the Homecoming festivities serve as an opportunity to see the wide extent of UW-Madison’s student communities and opportunities, firsthand.
“I like the Homecoming Parade because I get to see a lot of different organizations that I didn't really know about on campus,” graduate student Ellise Markevitch told The Daily Cardinal.
Freshman Neha Pesaramelli agreed that the variety of floats showed the scale of UW-Madison’s student body.
“[It] made campus feel really large and diverse, which I really appreciate,” Pesaramelli said.
Pesaramelli’s favorite part of the event was singing “Happy Birthday” to Bucky Badger as the mascot, who turned 86 that day, marched by.
The parade, Breneman told the Cardinal, has been a tradition since 1913. Now the celebration is incorporating digital media to allow people to enjoy it from afar. The Wisconsin Homecoming Committee’s Instagram content gained hundreds of thousands of views this year.
Clara Mak, president of the Wisconsin Homecoming Committee, is enthusiastic about the event’s virtual reach.
“One of the comments on our Spirit Parade video was from an alum who said, ‘Oh, my goodness, how I miss Madison… this brought happy tears to my eyes,’” Mak told the Cardinal.
Mike Thompson, a UW-Madison Class of ‘92 alum, had a simple but definitive opinion on the event.
“Badger Parade: best ever,” Thompson told the Cardinal.
One organization especially popular among attendees was the UW-Madison Marching Band who played classic school spirit numbers.
“[The band’s] songs just really bring up the energy and make me excited about Wisconsin and being a Badger,” freshman Sophia Dyer told the Cardinal.
Caroline Canney, a freshman involved with the UW-Madison orchestras, agreed.
“As a musician, it's just so fun to see them,” Canney told the Cardinal.
Freshman Ash Prost believes the parade highlights the strength of diversity across campus with the variety of students represented.
“I'm proud to be a Badger because it's such a diverse community,” Prost said. “We saw all kinds of student organizations and groups, like multicultural groups, and just in general, lots of different talented Badgers. I mean, it makes me really proud to be a part of a community that upholds that diversity.”
Freshman Christian Ott told the Cardinal he was pleasantly surprised by the amount of school spirit the parade brought to central Madison.
“I think [being a Badger] is more than just being a rigorous academic student,” Ott said. “It’s also embracing the culture around you, the clubs, the student life; embracing the fact that the university is kind of intertwined with the city of Madison.”
The Wisconsin Homecoming Committee does not rest. Breneman said the group is already beginning to recruit committee members for next year.
“The Wisconsin Homecoming Committee and the staff who support the Committee’s work put hundreds of hours into making the parade and other Homecoming festivities possible,” Breneman said. “All leading up to the moments when Badgers and Badgers-at-heart can make memories and find community together.”
Like it has for over a century, UW-Madison’s Homecoming Parade brought an eye-opening, spirit-raising celebration of community.
“It definitely exceeded my expectations,” Prost said. “It was just amazing to see such a wide array of talents that the students have, and also just how supportive Badgers are for other Badgers.”
