Rekindle your UBC memories and take in the new sights and experiences on campus. Whether it’s been one year or many since your last connection to UBC, you’re always welcome here. Check out the full line-up, rally your friends, and build your personalized Homecoming itinerary. Don’t forget to register in advance so you don’t miss out!
Questions? Please contact alumni.events@ubc.ca.
Celebrate UBC Homecoming in style
Homecoming is UBC’s largest school spirit event of the year. Show off your UBC pride at Homecoming and all year long with the limited edition UBC light blue retro logo crewneck.
Available for $44.95 at the UBC Bookstore for a limited time. Proceeds will benefit the FORWARD for Students Affordability Initiative.
ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl (Come Toward the Fire) | UBC Thunderbirds Football Game | UBC Nest Fest | Homecoming Adventure Course Extravaganza | alumNIGHTS: Homecoming Edition | Attractions & Tours | Faculty Activities
UBC Vancouver Homecoming Schedule
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Photo by Jan Gates
ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl (Come Toward the Fire) – A Celebration of Indigenous Community, Culture, and Creativity
Free Daytime Festival 1:00–5:00 pm; Evening Ticketed Festival 6:00–9:30 pm
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Rd – map
Presented by the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and Musqueam
We are honoured to share this family-friendly Indigenous-led festival in advance of the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation as part of our Homecoming event line-up. This year’s festival will include music performances, workshops, film screenings, food vendors, an Indigenous artisan market, and more. Everyone is welcome!
All festival events are FREE for Indigenous community members.
Friday, September 22, 2023
UBC Thunderbirds Football Game
4:00 pm Street Party
6:00 pm Kick-off
UBC Thunderbird Stadium, 6288 Stadium Road, Vancouver – map
On Friday, September 22, join thousands of screaming fans as generations of Thunderbirds come together to celebrate at UBC’s largest school spirit event of the year, the annual Homecoming Football Game Presented by Sports Illustrated Clubhouse. Your UBC Thunderbirds Football team will kick off at 6:00 pm at Thunderbird Stadium. Join us early for a street party at 4:00 pm where you can enjoy entertainment, food, giveaways and more.
Saturday, September 23, 2023
UBC Nest Fest
10:00 am–3:00 pm
Outside the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre, 6163 University Blvd – map
Join us for a day of celebrating UBC spirit and pride. Bring your family and friends to the plaza outside the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre for entertaining musical performances, popcorn and cotton candy, games, a rock wall, airbrush tattoos, food trucks and the return of the Homecoming train. Be sure to check out all the booths to take part in fun, interactive activities from UBC’s faculties and other campus partners. It will be fun for everyone and sure to be the highlight of your Homecoming experience!
Entertainment schedule
View the line-up
10:00 am – DJ Bazenga with performances by Karmella Barr at 10:15 and 10:45
11:00 am – Opening Ceremonies, including a performance by UBC Korean Dance group K-Wave and the UBC Thunderbirds Cheer Team
11:30 am – DJ Bazenga
12:00 pm – Performance by Missy D, BSc’15
12:30 pm – DJ Bazenga
1:30 pm – Performance by Á’a:líya, BFA’18, MFA’22
2:00 pm – DJ Bazenga
Food vendors
See the list of food options
Cazba Express – Food truck serving Persian cuisine.
Chickpea – We’re a funky, friendly bunch of folks determined to change the world one chickpea at a time. Come visit us at the food truck.
Japadog – Authentic Japanese taste meets our favourite hotdog.
Bak’d Cookies – From our test kitchen to your door, our business is all about delivering freshly baked cookies to those who need a smile or a bit of sweetness in their day.
Elephant Garden Creamery – Handcrafted Ice Cream | Made in Vancouver
Don’t miss their specially formulated options for Homecoming: Marbellous Cookie and Thunderbird ice creams
Loafe Café – Loafe Café offers locally roasted coffee, fresh baked goods, gourmet sandwiches and fresh salads. They also have a selection of craft beers and cocktails.
Homecoming Adventure Course Extravaganza
Course Available – 10:30 am–2:30 pm
MacInnes Field, 6131 University Blvd – map
Test your strength and smarts in our adventure course extravaganza! Open to all ages, our course features an inflatable obstacle race, fun challenges, and jeopardy using real UBC exam questions! Drop-in to participate in our just-for-fun category or register in advance to win prizes in our competitive races.
If you are interested in racing competitively, please register in advance. Races will be at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm. Limited space available.
alumNIGHTS: Homecoming Edition
5:00–7:00 pm
GRETA YVR, 50 West Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1C8 – map
Power up your UBC Homecoming festivities! We’re taking over Gastown’s GRETA YVR, an arcade haven that’s packed with new and classic games, street food, and fab drinks. Indulge in three hours of unlimited access to Guitar Hero, Mario Kart Arcade, Pac-Man, the Simpsons, Skee-Ball, pinball, and many more. Bring your friends and get your fill of gaming fun while having a ball!
Attractions and Tours
Once again this year, we have partnered with UBC attractions to provide complimentary admission on September 23, as well as scheduled tours and other activities at additional points of interest. Registration for the Attractions is required so you can pick up your complimentary pass at the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre.
*Note: Tours have limited capacity. To avoid disappointment, please pre-register. Most Attractions do not require a tour to visit.
Beaty Biodiversity Museum
Free Admission – 10:00 am–5:00 pm
10:00 am–5:00 pm
2212 Main Mall – map
Vancouver’s natural history museum on UBC campus with over 2 million specimens, a 26m blue whale skeleton, and 6 collections: Cowan Tetrapod Collection, Marine Invertebrate Collection, Fossil Collection, Herbarium, Spencer Entomological Collection, and Fish Collection.
Mathemalchemy
Both art and math illuminate and describe our world, and have the power to inspire our imaginations. This installation invites you to let go of preconceptions or classroom experiences about art or math, and to explore with an open mind. Feel free to wander, observe, and enjoy.
Beneath the Emerald Green
Waves by Antonio Hou: In this mysterious underwater world, height and gravity are no longer barriers. You can explore the shallow desert-like barrens in search of Pacific spiny lumpsuckers hiding on abandoned mooring lines, or venture deeper to visit a zoanthid gallery with a giant lingcod. You can play peek-a-boo with the locals living in sponges or venture beyond recreational limits in search of Gorgonian coral reefs.
Meteobotany pairs drawings of cloud systems with embroidered plant life, in particular, lichens. Iterations go from digital satellite images, to drawing done by hand on a digital surface, then commercially printed onto fabric, and finally embroidered by hand. Matzkuhn explores contrasts of technologies and materials, and points of view.
UBC Botanical Garden and Nitobe Memorial Garden
Free Admission and Tours – 10:00 am–4:30 pm
10:00 am–4:30 pm
Nitobe Memorial Garden is a traditional Japanese stroll garden and authentic tea house, and is one of the most traditional Japanese gardens outside of Japan. The garden welcomes visitors to a space of tranquility, introspection and quiet contemplation.
UBC Botanical Garden is a place where visitors of all ages can explore and learn about plants, people and biodiversity from every corner of the world.
Botanical Garden Tours
6804 SW Marine Dr – map
Tours at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm
Explore the Garden on a 1-hour walking tour with trained staff, volunteers and students and discover the wonders of plants, biodiversity, and the stories behind the Garden and our collection.
Advance registration is required to participate in the tours.
Nitobe Memorial Garden
1895 Lower Mall – map
At Nitobe Memorial Garden there will be no tours but instead there will be an education station with knowledgeable Garden Guides to answer questions.
Visit our education station between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm to discover plants, culture and traditions in a tranquil Japanese Garden. Located in the heart of UBC Vancouver’s Campus, Garden Guides are onsite to share the conversation about west coast and Asian maples, cherries and mosses while learning about the history of Japanese gardens.
UBC Farm
Tours and Farmers’ Market – 10:00 am–2:00 pm
10:00 am–2:00 pm
3461 Ross Drive – map
The UBC Farm has grown and thrived since becoming a key part of UBC’s agroecology research and education, and is a place of experiential learning for students, researchers, and the neighbouring community. The UBC Farm acts as a Living Laboratory, modelling sustainable, small-scale, diversified farming practices and features organically cultivated annual crop fields, honey beehives, perennial hedgerows and orchards, pasture-raised hens, Indigenous-led gardens, and conservation forest stands.
Discover the UBC Farm through your taste-buds! The UBC Farm Farmers’ Market is on with food trucks, treats, crafts, local vendors, live music, and – of course – certified organic UBC Farm veggies, fruits, herbs, flowers and eggs. 10:00 am – 2:00pm on Saturdays until the end of November.
Tour times
10:30-11:30 am & 12:00-1:00 pm
Want to learn about food sustainability by immersing yourself in the landscape of a working certified organic farm and research, community and teaching hub? Join us for a guided tour of our dynamic farm site! The UBC Farm provides a unique site for learning about global issues in food systems in the context of a 60-acre certified organic farm with integrated community-engaged educational programming, research, and teaching.
Advance registration is required to participate in the tours.
Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre
Tours of the Centre – 10:00 am–3:00 pm
10:00 am–3:00 pm
1985 Learners’ Walk – map
The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) at UBC addresses the colonial legacy of residential schools and other policies imposed by the Canadian government on Indigenous Peoples, and ensures that this history is acknowledged, examined and understood within the UBC community. The Centre works with partners across disciplines, at UBC and beyond, to facilitate dialogues and access to records and information that support engaging the legacies of the residential school system and the on-going impacts of colonialism in Canada. This work supports teaching and learning at UBC, and the work of UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan, by supporting Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination and working in partnership with partners and communities. The Centre is quickly establishing itself as a leading institution for culturally informed, reciprocal, community-led research, education and dialogues in partnership with Indigenous communities, Survivors and UBC. As a Survivor-centred, trauma-informed space, the Centre works in service to Indigenous communities and peoples of Canada.
Tour times:
10:00–10:45 am; 11:15 am–12:00pm; 1:00–1:45 pm; 2:15 pm–3:00 pm
The Centre’s Indigenous Engagement and Programming Manager will lead guests through the building and gallery space at the Centre. Touching on unique features of the building, the tour primarily focuses on ways visitors can engage and learn about the legacy of residential schools through the interactive technologies at the Centre.
Advance registration is required to participate in the tours.
Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
Free Admission – 10:00 am–5:00 pm
10:00 am–5:00 pm
1825 Main Mall – map
The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery that presents exhibitions, houses a collection, and maintains the Outdoor Art Collection at UBC’s Vancouver campus. Come visit our current exhibition indoors, or sign up for an outdoor walking tour of art on campus.
Current exhibition:
From September 5–December 10, 2023
Carole Itter: Only when I’m hauling water do I wonder if I’m getting any stronger brings together a selection of Carole Itter’s multi-disciplinary works (assemblage/sculpture, drawings, performance, video, writing) and archival materials from the 1960s to the present. The title of this exhibition is connected to Itter’s published writing in Whistle Daughter Whistle (1982) and to her self-reflexive labour as an artist, a woman and an inhabitant on the shores of the West Coast (Vancouver, Roberts Creek and Dollarton, North Vancouver). Itter’s focus on the local was part of a shared sensibility in Vancouver and beyond in the 1960s and the artist offers insight into how humans see themselves in relation to each other and the rest of the beings in the world.
Pacific Museum of Earth
Free Admission – 10:00 am–5:00 pm
10:00 am–5:00 pm
6339 Stores Rd – map
The Pacific Museum of Earth is Vancouver’s premier Earth Science museum. Located in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia, we provide an educational window into a wide range of topics including atmospheric science, oceanography, geology, environmental sciences, geological engineering, and planetary science. We serve as one of the main public outreach venues at the university and our interdisciplinary nature places our outreach program in a powerful position to engage, excite, and educate university students, faculty, and staff as well as youth and local teachers about fundamental science and its linkages to topics of environmental, economic, and societal importance.
Explore the Pacific Museum of Earth and discover the wonders of our dynamic planet Earth. Tour 4.5 billion years through the evolution of Earth, touch a real dinosaur bone, be informed about the hazards of natural disasters, gaze at dazzling mineral and gem displays, and learn about the mineralogical guts of your smartphone. As an added bonus, we’ll have a bunch of our favourite specimens out for you to touch & learn about!
UBC Campus Walking Tours
Campus Tours – 11:00 am–12:30 pm & 1:00–2:30 pm
11:00 am–12:30 pm & 1:00–2:30 pm
6163 University Blvd – map
UBC is a big place – but the knowledgeable student ambassadors at the UBC Welcome Centre can help make it a bit smaller. Join us this Homecoming for a free guided walking tour and get to know the Vancouver campus like a local.
This tour will orient you to campus and help you get a feel for UBC life. Stop by iconic spots, beloved student hangouts and some of Vancouver’s best attractions.
Faculty Activities
On September 23, many faculties and departments are hosting a variety of activities. Some are exclusively for faculty alumni and donors and others are open to the public. Some of these activities require advance and separate registration. Please read descriptions carefully.
Allard Law Dean’s Community BBQ – 12:00–2:00 pm
12:00–2:00 pm
Allard Hall – 1822 East Mall
Join Allard Law Dean Ngai Pindell and the Allard Law community for a family-friendly BBQ at noon on Saturday, September 23. Come for a burger, drinks and games at Allard Hall, stay for the celebrations taking place across campus!
Open to Allard Law alumni, donors, students, faculty and staff only.
Advance registration is required.
Applied Science Dean’s BBQ – 12:30–3:00 pm
12:30–3:00 pm
Outside the Engineering Student Centre – 2335 Engineering Road
It’s barbecue season, and you know what that means… the return of the annual Dean’s BBQ!
Rain or shine, get ready to kick back, relax and reconnect with your fellow alumni, students, and faculty. There’ll be plenty to eat and refreshments for everyone, so be sure to RSVP!
To attend, please RSVP by Friday, September 8, 2023.
Open to Applied Science alumni and friends.
Advance registration is required.
Faculty of Education
Learning and understanding through crafting and story time! – 11:00 am–2:00 pm
11:00 am–2:00 pm
Scarfe Foyer – 2125 Main Mall
Crafting & Story Time: Connect, Create, and Learn! Join us for the Faculty of Education open house where we will design buttons, craft red dresses, and knit orange sweaters! At 11:00 am, join alumna Peggy Janicki, BEd’01, MEd’14, for a reading of her recently published book: The Secret Pocket. Unleash your creativity, expand your knowledge, and embark on a journey of discovery, all while enjoying the welcoming atmosphere of shared stories and learning through crafting. An enriching experience for all ages!
Open to all.
UBC Sauder Dean’s BBQ and Open House – 11:30 am–3:00 pm
11:30 am–3:00 pm
Henry Angus Building – CPA Hall – 2053 Main Mall
Bring your family—and appetite— back to campus for the UBC Sauder Dean’s BBQ and Open House. Enjoy a family fun-filled day featuring live music, an alumni-owned business marketplace, and a mouth-watering BBQ, with Dean Darren Dahl himself behind the grill!
The Open House is open to all but the Dean’s BBQ will be limited to the Sauder Community – Alumni, students, staff, faculty, and donors and two of their guests.
Advance registration is required.
Register directly to UBC Sauder’s Homecoming event here
Faculty of Science
Pond biodiversity and the microscope – 10:30 am–1:00 pm (30 minute sessions)
10:30 am–1:00 pm (30 minute sessions starting at 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, and 12:00)
Michael Smith Labs – 2185 East Mall – Room 105
Experience a real lab. The Michael Smith Labs will have its microscopes out for a fully hands-on experience looking at pond samples. You’ll see amazing biodiversity & discover the wonder of the microbial world. Great for young kids & the young at heart!
Advance registration is required.
Faculty of Science
Your DNA and the amazing world of genetics – 1:00–2:00 pm
1:00–2:00 pm
Michael Smith Labs – 2185 East Mall – Room 105
Come out to a hands-on molecular biology lab that will allow you to take home a sample of your own DNA. This session will also take some time to talk about the amazing science of genetics, as well as some of the ethical considerations at play.
Recommended for older children (16+) and/or adults. Advance registration is required.
Planning your day – Saturday, September 23
Here is some information to help you make the most of your day. If you haven’t already pre-registered, you can still register online or come down to register in person at the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre on Saturday from 9:30 am–4:00 pm. You can also purchase tickets to alumNIGHTS at the door at GRETA YVR.
Directions and getting your day started
You can download the schedule and map here. You can also try our interactive Google map that has the Saturday, September 23 activities pinned. Make the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre your first stop on campus (parking and transit options nearby in maps above). UBC’s accessibility shuttle will also be available. From here you can pick up an Attractions pass, visit the Nest Fest and hop onto our complimentary shuttle buses to take you to your next locations (see the maps). The first 1200 guests to visit Nest Fest will also receive a complimentary tote bag!
If you pre-ordered your Retro Homecoming crewneck or would like to purchase one while on campus, visit the UBC Bookstore conveniently located across from the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre. The Bookstore will be open from 11:00 am–5:00 pm on Saturday, September 23.
The Nest Fest will have several food and beverage options for you to choose from, and Loafe Café in the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre will also be open. There is a water bottle refilling station in the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre as well as other locations that our friendly volunteers can help you locate.
Share your photos on social. On Instagram, be sure to tag @alumniUBC and use the hashtag #ubchomecoming to enter our giveaway for a UBC Homecoming prize pack.
We hope you enjoy your visit! If you have additional questions, please contact alumni.events@ubc.ca or 604-827-5831.
Are you looking for UBC Homecoming – Okanagan? Check out the schedule here.
Not able to join us in Vancouver or Kelowna? You’re still part of the UBC family! My Town Meet-ups: Homecoming Edition are being planned around the world. Check out the list of My Town Meetups.
We acknowledge that UBC’s campuses are situated within the traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wu7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and in the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples.
HOMECOMING IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE PRESENTING PARTNERS OF FORWARD, THE CAMPAIGN FOR UBC
SUPPORTED BY ALUMNI UBC‘S PILLAR PARTNERS
