State College’s homecoming parade returns this week. Here’s when roads will close
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- The State College Area School District’s homecoming parade starts at 5:45 p.m. Thursday.
- The parade route will briefly close Westerly Parkway and several neighborhood streets.
- Parade attendees should park in the State High campus North Building’s parking lot.
Several neighborhood roads will close Thursday evening in preparation for the State College Area School District’s annual homecoming parade.
The district’s parade will start at State College Area High School before winding through State College’s Holmes-Foster neighborhood and returning to the high school. The parade is expected to start at 5:45 p.m. Thursday and wrap up around 7 p.m.
The most notable closure along the parade route is Westerly Parkway. Sections of O’Bryan Lane, South Sparks Street, West Fairmount Street and Saxton Drive will also close.
According to the school district, the parade will proceed as follows:
- The parade will begin at the intersection of O’Bryan Lane and Westerly Parkway
- From State High, the parade will head west on Westerly Parkway
- Right on South Sparks Street
- Left on West Fairmount Street
- Left on Westerly Parkway
- Right on Saxton Drive
- Left on South Sparks Street
- Right on Westerly Parkway before returning to the high school
Those hoping to attend the parade are encouraged to park in the State High campus North Building’s parking lot across from the main high school, the district said.
State College’s homecoming parade debuted its current route in 2023 after the district, the State College Borough and State College police raised safety concerns. Previous routes took the parade down Westerly Parkway before turning up South Allen Street and finishing past Memorial Field on West Nittany Avenue.
This year’s homecoming features notable changes to parade participation.
Back in July, Superintendent Curtin Johnson said the district would allow only school-sponsored groups or other approved organizations to participate, and the district would no longer accept applications from outside organizations “that are not directly related to the district.” Additionally, the parade is no longer using 18-wheeler flatbed trucks.
In a message to families, Johnson said the changes were implemented “due to safety recommendations from law enforcement” surrounding the parade’s overall size and length.
“Since the route changed a few years ago, we have experienced safety issues because of the large number of participants overwhelming the parade route,” Johnson wrote in July. “We understand that this is a big change and many community organizations will no longer be able to be in the parade. However, to ensure the safety of the participants and spectators alike, this shift is necessary.”
District officials noted 18-wheeler flatbed trucks often had trouble navigating narrow residential streets and occasionally slowed the parade down or needed to drive over curbs while turning. Due to its high number of participants, the parade would sometimes turn into itself during its somewhat circular route and cause delays and congestion that forced some spectators into the streets.
State College will host its homecoming football game against Chambersburg at 7 p.m. Friday at Memorial Field.
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