McDaniel College's Homecoming is Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3.and while much of the weekend's schedule is built for alumni, several of the biggest draws on the Hill are open to anyone in Westminster, starting with Saturday's 1 p.m. football game against Carnegie Mellon University.
Here's what non-alumni can do this weekend. Unless noted, details come from the college's Homecoming webpage, which also lists the alumni-only events and registration.
The game, and the tailgate around it
There's no charge to walk into Kenneth R. Gill Stadium for a McDaniel football game, according to McDaniel Athletics. Driving into the stadium costs $20 per car.
Driving in is how many fans watch. McDaniel describes Gill Stadium as a drive-in stadium, with fans parking cars and trucks and setting up tents and grills on the grass hillside around Rembert Field from morning through the end of the game.
McDaniel Athletics notes that The Weather Channel ranked the college No. 6 in the nation for tailgating in 2011, and Southern Living named it one of the top 20 tailgating schools in 2012.
If you're driving in:
The stadium lot opens three hours before kickoff, at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The college says cash is preferred for the $20 fee. Credit cards are accepted, but PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay and similar apps are not.
Parking elsewhere on campus is free, according to the college.
McDaniel Athletics asks tailgaters to keep pets leashed and clean up after them, follow traffic signs and Maryland's alcohol laws, and move cars out of the stadium within 45 minutes after the game ends.
Photo via McDaniel College website: Homecoming 2025 football game with tailgate tents in the background
Before kickoff. At 12:30 p.m. on Rembert Field, the college will present its Homecoming Court. It will also name the student group with the best entry in the Letters on the Hill painting contest and award the James Brant Memorial Cup to the fraternity or sorority that best excels in academics, varsity sports, leadership and community service. Tom Brown and Sandy Gochar Brown, both 1972 graduates, will be honorary captains for the coin toss.
The game. McDaniel (1-2) opens its Centennial Conference schedule against Carnegie Mellon. The Green Terror beat Catholic 13-7 at home to open the season, then lost at Salisbury and at Juniata, according to McDaniel Athletics. It's the second meeting between the schools. Carnegie Mellon won the first, 56-7 in Pittsburgh last October, scoring five touchdowns in the second quarter, according to McDaniel Athletics.
At halftime, six newly inducted members of the college's Athletics Hall of Fame will be recognized on the field. The game will also stream on the Centennial Conference's video network.
Three more home games Saturday
McDaniel has three other home contests Saturday:
Women's soccer vs. Swarthmore, noon, soccer complex
Men's soccer vs. Swarthmore, 3 p.m., soccer complex
Field hockey vs. Haverford, 5 p.m., Rembert Field at Gill Stadium
Start times can change, the college notes. Check mcdanielathletics.com for updates.
A Westminster sculptor's work at Rice Gallery
The Esther Prangley Rice Gallery in Peterson Hall is showing "Near and Far," a solo exhibition of bronze wildlife sculptures and drawings by Westminster artist Bart Walter. According to the college, Walter's work is held in collections including:
the National Zoo in Washington
the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
the Uganda Wildlife Authority
the Carroll County Public Library's Westminster branch
The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.
A dark comedy twist on "Dracula" at Alumni Hall
McDaniel Theatre's fall production, Kate Hamill's "Dracula, a Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really," plays at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in WMC Alumni Hall. The college describes the play as a dark comedy that recasts Bram Stoker's vampire novel with Van Helsing as a woman and its heroines fighting back. The college says the show includes adult material and is intended for mature audiences. Tickets and information are available through the college.
For families with high schoolers
McDaniel's admissions office is holding a Game Day Open House for prospective students and student-athletes at 10 a.m. Saturday in Baker Memorial Chapel, known on campus as Big Baker. That leaves time to visit, then catch the pregame ceremony and kickoff.
Also on campus this weekend
Not everything on the Hill this weekend is open to the public, but one ceremony is worth knowing about. On Friday, McDaniel will hold an invitation-only ceremony marking the completion of a $4.3 million renovation of Merritt Hall, according to a college media advisory. The advisory says more than $2 million of the cost came from a State of Maryland grant. The building houses McDaniel's new master's programs in occupational therapy and speech-language pathology, along with its education and psychology departments.
Alumni and anyone curious about the full schedule — reunions, alumni games, the Hall of Fame dinner and group tailgates — can find it at mcdaniel.edu/homecoming.
Sources: McDaniel College's Homecoming 2026 webpage and Sept. 28 media advisory; McDaniel Athletics.