UNI Homecoming 2025 announces live entertainment, parade dignitaries
UNI Homecoming 2025 announces live entertainment, parade dignitaries
Homecoming festivities formally kick off UNI Sesquicentennial Celebration
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The University of Northern Iowa is gearing up for an especially monumental Homecoming this fall, complete with special guests and exciting entertainment to paint the town purple. The week of festivities will mark the official kickoff of the UNI Sesquicentennial Celebration, which will continue for more than a year, as the university honors its proud past and bold future.
This year’s Homecoming Bash will feature a performance from Marshall Charloff & The Purple xPeRIeNCE, the most celebrated tribute to Prince in the world. Founded in Minneapolis by Charloff and Matt “Doctor” Fink (keyboardist from Prince & The Revolution), the band has performed for more than 1 million fans in its 14-year history. Catch “Purple Rain” and other Prince hits during the Homecoming Bash held on Friday, Oct. 3.
The annual Homecoming parade will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 11 a.m. in downtown Cedar Falls. The grand marshal will be Drew Conrad, the 2025 winner of the Heritage Honours Alumni Service Award, a recognition for UNI alumni with long and continuous service to the university and the community. Conrad is also the new executive director for Business & Community Services, which is the economic development outreach arm of the Wilson College of Business, and longtime director of BCS’ Institute for Decision Making.
Randy Pilkington and Cary Darrah, the co-chairs of the UNI Sesquicentennial Celebration, will serve as parade dignitaries. Both have deep ties to university. Pilkington, a UNI alum, has worked at the university for nearly 40 years, most recently serving as the executive director for Business and Community Services prior to Conrad’s July appointment. Darrah, a Cedar Falls native and community leader, has family and professional connections to UNI through her previous roles with Grow Cedar Valley and Community Main Street.
“Homecoming is a truly special time each year, but our 2025 festivities will mark the start of our biggest celebration to date,” said UNI President Mark Nook. “Preparations for the kickoff of our sesquicentennial celebration have been underway for a while, and it will be exciting to see so many families back in Cedar Falls. Whether you’re a current student, an alum or a member of the community, this is definitely an occasion you don’t want to miss.”
UNI Homecoming will feature many sesquicentennial festivities, including the Ringing of the Sesquicentennial Bell, the grand opening of a dedicated sesquicentennial museum exhibit, architectural walking tours, Distinguished Alumni Awards and football in the Dome starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday. For a complete look at the Homecoming schedule, visit homecoming.uni.edu.
