Campus & community, Campus news, Events at Berkeley

Alumni, parents share in the Homecoming cheer

Thousands of alumni and parents brought a festive air — and oceans of blue and gold — to the Berkeley campus this weekend in honor of Homecoming and the Campanile's 100th birthday.

By Public Affairs

October 6, 2015

marching band — The Cal Band drums up energy for football fans at a Homecoming game. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

The Cal Band demonstrates the strut, one of its signature steps, on the field at Memorial Stadium. — One of the Cal Band's signature steps is the strut. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

cheerleader — (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

football team — The Cal Golden Bears played Washington State's Cougars at Homecoming. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

card stunt at football game — The rally committee performs a card stunt in the stands at the Homecoming football game in honor of the Campanile's 100th birthday.

People in stands at football game — (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

Football fans show their Cal spirit. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

campanile — The Campanile celebrated its 100th birthday as part of the Homecoming festivities. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

Alumni gather around Cal's mascot, Oski the Bear. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

old cal sign — (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

Miniature Campanile hats were in vogue at the bell tower's birthday celebration. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

la dawn and vice mayor — Executive Director of Visitor and Parent Services La Dawn Duvall (left) holds the City of Berkeley's proclamation with Berkeley Vice Mayor Linda Maio. (UC Berkeley photo by Humair Burney and Justin Johnson)

campus ambassador and her dog — A campus ambassador poses with her Shitzu at the foot of the Campanile. (UC Berkeley photo by Humair Burney and Justin Johnson)

two people at the top of the campanile — Bob and Jodi Newman took a ride to the top of the Campanile for the first time. Bob was celebrating his 50th Berkeley reunion. (UC Berkeley photo by Humair Burney and Justin Johnson)

(UC Berkeley photo by Humair Burney and Justin Johnson)

Event-goers munched on blue-frosted cupcakes. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

Onlookers admire the Tyrannosaurus rex in the Valley Life Sciences building. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

parents eating — Parents of Berkeley students joined in the fun and learned about the campus. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

Philanthropist Mimi Haas, widow of alumnus Peter E. Haas, attended the Peter E. Haas Public Service Award presentation and lecture, held Saturday at Morrison Library. (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks (UC Berkeley photo by Keegan Houser)

A carillon student sits at the keyboard inside the playing cabin on the Campanile's observation deck. — Davis says he encourages his students to experiment with playing the same passage of music in different ways — louder, softer, faster, evenly, unevently — to get at the mind of the composer.
Humair Burney, Justin Johnson/UC Berkeley

girl wearing a hat — Say cheese! A little girl celebrates the Campanile with her very own Campanile hat. (UC Berkeley photo by Humair Burney and Justin Johnson)

Thousands of alumni and parents brought a festive air — and oceans of blue and gold — to the Berkeley campus this weekend in honor of Homecoming and the Campanile’s 100th birthday.

Crowds gathered at the foot of the campus’s famous clock tower to don Campanile hats, eat blue-frosted Campanile cupcakes and enjoy free rides to the top in celebration of Campanile Day, now officially Oct. 3. Vice Mayor of Berkeley Linda Maio read the city’s proclamation and recited a poem about the beloved Campanile, written by Berkeley professor Isaac Flagg. And “Happy Birthday” rang out from the tower’s carillon — something organizers say won’t happen again for a very long time. Learn more about the Campanile at campanile.berkeley.edu.

Football fans swarmed uphill to watch Cal face off with the Washington State Cougars, with the marching band showing its stuff at half time. The weekend was packed with special events — campus tours, museum and library open houses, exhibits at the botanical garden, spirit rallies and seminars on everything from energy policy in the United States to music as an art and science.

Check out the weekend’s fun in photos and listen to the Campanile’s carillonist play “Happy Birthday.”

For more information about the campus’s annual Homecoming festivities, visit homecoming.berkeley.edu.