ASU’s 2024 Homecoming celebrates both tradition and modernity as it journeys through the school’s many eras
A block parade. A football game. A historic lantern walk. A comedy show. Opportunities to make lifelong friendships. These are just a few time-honored traditions offered at ASU’s Homecoming festivities this year.
Take it from Grace Reiter, a senior studying economics and sustainability and the 2023 Homecoming Queen. Much of Reiter’s family went to Ohio State, which is renowned for its school spirit. She said experiencing the Homecoming events made her feel like she was at home again.
“I remember when I first came to ASU, I was a little bit let down with the culture and the tradition aspect,” Reiter said. “But then when I got involved in this Homecoming space as an intern my first year, and then definitely as being queen last year, I came to recognize that – wow – ASU has really, really unique traditions.”
One of those traditions is a historic lantern walk up the “A” Mountain in Tempe. This has been an ASU Homecoming tradition since 1917, and it is still honored today. At the summit of the mountain, Sparky plants his pitchfork into the ground, igniting the “A” logo on the mountain to explode with glimmering light. There, the Homecoming Royalty is crowned and former ASU alumni speak to students about the school’s culture.
“Overall, the lantern walk overall just shows what ASU is and the traditions kept,” said Claudia Cortez Mesa, this year’s Homecoming Director. “And then the speakers do a phenomenal job talking about what it is to be a Sun Devil.”
The lantern walk is just one of several engaging events presented during this year’s Homecoming events. The festivities include a comedy show featuring Saturday Night Live actor Marcello Hernandez, a Sparky-themed street fair, a Devils’ Royale casino night and a brand-new keynote presentation on wellness. Cortez Mesa said this year’s festivities are built around the theme of ASU’s evolution from a little school in the desert to a powerhouse in the Big 12.
“It’s mostly (about) the eras of ASU,” Cortez Mesa said. “The differences from the past and now. So we're kind of focusing on the old-school varsity, all that retro logo vibe.”
The events span across all four of ASU’s metro Phoenix campuses, giving every student a chance to get a taste of Homecoming. Visit ASU’s website for a full list of details about every event this year.
Although there are a variety of activities for students to enjoy this year, the most popular will undoubtedly be the Homecoming Block Party, which takes place Saturday morning before ASU football’s game against BYU.
According to Cortez Mesa, the Block Party always draws the most attention, from students and families alike. The party is preceded by a parade consisting of ginormous floats carried by cars holding the Homecoming Court that travel through ASU’s Tempe campus. It was the favorite event of both Reiter and Alexis Blasko, who was also on the 2023 Homecoming Court. She is now an alumnus of ASU after graduating with a Bachelor’s in Health Sciences.
Blasko said there was one moment in particular that showed how fulfilling and enriching this experience can be. When she was being driven through the Tempe streets with the rest of Homecoming Royalty, she reached over her car to give a high-five to a little boy who was standing by. This run-of-the-mill interaction ended up being one of the fondest moments of her Homecoming experience.
“I remember thinking nothing of it when I was doing it other than he seemed very excited, and I wanted to give him that moment because he was at a standstill in the parade,” Blasko said. “I (later found out) it made his entire day, and that really sat with me for a while, and I still think about it. I leave that photo (of us) in my office, and I think about that moment a lot. There's these little moments that can happen throughout the experience, and they come naturally, and I think those moments are what definitely makes the whole experience.”
Homecoming week wraps up with the Sun Devil Football game where the Homecoming Court is recognized once again. This game will be extra special because the Sun Devils are playing against a now-conference rival to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive, so students should secure their tickets on the ASU Gameday App as soon as possible.
Homecoming provides students with a chance to make new friends, find new opportunities and embrace school spirit. It may seem like a daunting task to put yourself out there and buy into the school celebration, but it truly can lead to lifelong memories and connections. Both Reiter and Blasko encourage students to attend to take advantage of these chances while they have them.
“I seriously moved to Arizona and I did not know a single soul in this entire state,” Reiter said. “And I just really, really tried my hardest to put my name out there and put myself out there. And so I would encourage anyone that's struggling with being homesick or struggling to find their group of friends to just get as involved as possible… ASU is a massive school. There's so much to do, so much to get involved in and that's my biggest piece of advice.”
“It’s definitely something that you don't get to do every day so I definitely encourage you to take the leap and go for it,” Blasko said. “And who knows, maybe you'll end up on court, and you'll get to stand down on the field at the football game and ride in a fancy car in a parade. It’ll probably be the only time you get to do it in your life just might as well take the moment and embrace it.”