This weekend, parents joined in on the home football game festivities for UCF’s annual Family Weekend.
Events planned for families included barbecues, open houses and a variety of informational events in individual colleges.
The event has been scheduled for the past several years and has been a joint-staffed endeavor that includes all aspects of UCF programming, said Kelly Sparks, Office of Student Involvement’s coordinator of Family Weekend.
“Our hope is to provide the parents, family members and community with a weekend where they can come back and get a taste of what it’s like at our campus on a day-to-day basis,” Sparks said.
Family Weekend has expanded every year. This year’s event included almost double the amount of programs as last year and a pep rally Friday in the Student Union to build support for Saturday’s game.
This year’s program, working alongside College Open House Day, included more than 45 listed events for families to attend throughout the three-day period.
Sparks said that the amount of parents who show up on Family Weekend is on the rise.
“We have seen a growth in attendance over the last several years,” Sparks said.
Although registration was not mandatory for general Family Weekend events, Sparks commented that the added programs have helped influence the growth in attendance.
OSI was not the only group on campus to see an increase in attendance throughout the weekend.
Ticket sales for the football game were also aided by the Family Weekend crowd.
“Family Weekend typically has a positive effect on ticket sales as many parents come into town to visit their kids,” said AJ Arem, a sales manager for UCF Athletics. “The fraternities and sororities of Greek Life, for example, purchased more than 2,500 football game tickets for the Family Weekend game.”
With the influx of visitors in the area for the weekend, local hotels felt an increase in both guests and business.
Jennifer Arango, representative for La Quinta Inn and Suites on Research Parkway, said UCF events such as Family Weekend and graduation boost the occupancy rate of the hotel. The hotel offered incentives for visiting families such as a 15 percent discount and shuttle service to campus.
Throughout the community and within the campus itself, Family Weekend has inspired connections and continues to be a growing tradition, both in numbers and significance.
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