What Do You Wear to Homecoming? Everything You Need to Know

Homecoming is one of the most popular events for high schools and colleges around the United States. It’s an event that’s designed to bring students and staff together in the name of school spirit, so it’s a fun way for everyone to mingle. In fact, most homecoming events are spread out across a week, known as Spirit Week, which includes events like pajama day, school colors day, and much more.

While homecoming sounds fun and simple, it can also be stressful, especially if you’re wondering – what do you wear to homecoming? Fortunately, we’re here to help. Read on to learn more about what you should wear to homecoming.

What Is Homecoming?

Homecoming has been around since the 1920s. It’s something that started at colleges across the United States, but it quickly spread to high schools and continues to be celebrated to this day.

The event is based on cultivating school spirit and it builds up over the course of a week to a dance, parade, and sporting event. All grade levels are free to attend and celebrate, but there may be some restrictions based on the event based on your school’s rules.

What Do You Wear to Homecoming?

Homecoming consists of many different events, so you can’t just wear one outfit the whole week. Instead, you’ll have to pick the right outfit based on the event you’re attending that day. This can be a dance, parade, or even a football game, so the attire changes drastically.

Learn about what you should wear to each homecoming event below.

What Do You Wear to Homecoming Spirit Week?

Spirit Week tends to have different events based on your specific school. While every school tends to have a school color day or something similar, the other days will vary based on the school. Therefore, you’ll want to adjust your dress code based on what the day calls for.

A great example is a day like a pajama day, where students will show up in sweatpants or other pajama clothing. For school colors, you can wear any clothes you don’t mind getting paint, glitter, or other materials on.

What Do You Wear to the Homecoming Pep Rally?

The pep rally is what everything is leading up to. All of Spirit Week is unleashed at the end, usually in the school’s gym, where everyone gathers together for dance shows, cheerleading, pie-eating contests, and just about anything else the school wants to display for students.

Students of all ages attend the pep rally, and typically students wear regular everyday clothing but with school colors. Accessories are also a welcome addition for the pep rally to really show off your school spirit. Paint, stickers, and other types of clothing, like bandanas, are also common.

What Do You Wear to the Homecoming Game?

If your school has a homecoming sporting event coming up, don’t worry, you don’t have to wear anything fancy if you plan on attending. We recommend wearing your school’s colors to the big game, along with jerseys if you have one.

Other than that, you can wear whatever you want to the big game. The only exception is if you’re cheerleading for the event or have a specific role during the parade or halftime. In these cases, you’ll want to wear what the school recommends.

What Do You Wear to the Homecoming Dance?

The homecoming dance is one of the most important parts of homecoming. While it’s a great event, it tends to be less formal than prom, but more formal than your average school outing. Therefore, the dress code falls somewhere in between. We recommend checking out some homecoming dresses (like these from Sherri Hill) for inspiration.

For boys, you’ll want to stick with simple clothing. Slacks and button-downs are a great choice, but for more formal dances you may want to go with a suit and tie.

Show Up to Homecoming With Confidence

Homecoming is about school spirit, connecting with your peers, and of course, having a good time. To make the most out of homecoming, make sure you show up with your best possible outfits. If you dress for the part, there’s a good chance that you’ll have a much better time.

While finding the perfect outfit for homecoming may seem complicated, the outfits we covered in this article will help you show up to every homecoming event with confidence.