A “Scrappy Ever After” 2024 Homecoming Week

With a week of “Scrappy Every After” themed events, this year’s University of Tennessee at Chattanooga homecoming activities will be nothing short of a fairytale.

Numerous campus departments have prepared activities to bring students, alumni, faculty and staff together to feel the UTC school spirit.

The festivities kick off on Saturday, Oct. 19, with UTC’s annual Day of Service, encouraging the campus community to give back through service projects both on and off campus.

“We’re partnering with facilities on campus for a community cleanup,” said Kidron Bullock, the coordinator for the Office of Student and Family Engagement. “We’ll also be making care kits for children at Erlanger Hospital and helping Chattanooga ShowerUp, which is a mobile shower unit for those in need.”

Homecoming pep rally 2023

Throughout the week, students can look forward to a mix of new and returning events.

At Fairytale Plush and Sweets on Tuesday, Oct. 22, attendees can stuff their own plush frogs, dragons or unicorns while enjoying themed treats.

That night, an Enchanted Costume Gala invites guests to dress up and enjoy a night of dancing, music and snacks, with costumes encouraged but not required.

In the spirit of the theme, students can attempt to “bust out of jail” in an inflatable jail escape room at Happy Scrappy Friendships Ever After on Wednesday, Oct. 23. At the movie showing “Princess and the Frog” on Thursday, Oct. 24, visitors will be able to make a fairy light craft and enjoy a New Orleans-style dinner.

Of course, signature fan favorites will be returning, including the Kickoff Pep Rally at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21, on Chamberlain Field, where the Homecoming Court will be announced—and the annual Lip Sync Battle (Wednesday, Oct. 23).

“Lip Sync is a big one,” Bullock said. “We have over a thousand people in attendance, and we’ll have eight performing organizations that will be doing different themes.”

At the Downtown Pep Rally on Friday, Oct. 25, the campus community is invited to meet at Miller Plaza to show their UTC pride in the heart of Chattanooga.

The final and most anticipated event is the homecoming football game, where the Mocs will compete against Southern Conference rival Virginia Military Institute. Kickoff at Finley Stadium is at 4 p.m., and the homecoming king and queen will be crowned during halftime.

With 16 homecoming events, Bullock urged everyone to get out and have fun.

“It’s an overwhelming amount of events,” Bullock said, “but I want to encourage students that they should be able to find one thing and attend.”

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The “Scrappy Ever After” design is thanks to Jacob Cate, who has designed the homecoming theme for the past three years as a student worker in the UTC Division of Communications and Marketing.

“I was really excited about the fairytale theme,” said Cate, a senior studio art major. “I really like fantasy in general, and I was thinking of the old Disney movies that open up with a storybook.”

In years past, he drew the designs by hand. This year, he created them digitally.

“I previously hand-drew Scrappy as an astronaut,” he said, “but I’ve gotten pretty adept at doing it with a mouse.”