Orangeburg's Fall Runs on Two Homecomings, Four Weeks Apart

Between now and Thanksgiving, Orangeburg's calendar follows its two universities. South Carolina State University's Bulldog Homecoming runs October 18 through 25, 2026. Claflin University's ReUnion Weekend & Homecoming follows on November 19 through 22. The Orangeburg County Fair closed its run on Sunday, October 11, and the first of these homecoming weeks starts one week later.

The two weekends are built differently. SC State spreads its homecoming over a full week, mostly on campus, and brings it downtown for one big Saturday morning. Claflin fits its homecoming into four days and holds much of it at addresses off campus, on Russell Street, Broughton Street and Boulevard Street. If you live here, that difference tells you which streets get busy and on which days.

Two weekends, side by side

SC State's week stays on campus until Saturday

Most of the Bulldog schedule takes place inside SC State's own buildings. The week opens Sunday, October 18. The Bulldog Family Brunch starts at noon in Washington Dining Hall. The Royal Crowning of Mister and Miss Homecoming follows at 3 p.m. in the Bulldog Lounge at the KW Green Student Center, and the Homecoming Gospel Concert begins at 6 p.m. in MLK Auditorium.

Thursday, October 22, belongs to SHM Memorial Center. The Royal Renaissance coronation starts there at 6 p.m., and the Bulldog Crown Social follows at 10 p.m. in the same building.

Friday, October 23, has the most events of any day on the university's homecoming site. Yard Fest & Bulldog Fan-Fest starts at noon, and its location is still listed as to be announced. Food Truck Friday begins at 1 p.m. behind SHM, billed as a block party with food trucks, vendors and a live DJ. That evening, an Alumni Spades & Bid Whist Tournament starts at 7 p.m. in the Bulldog Lounge, and the NPHC Greek Step-Show starts at 8 p.m. at SHM Memorial Center.

On Saturday the week moves into town. The university's parade page describes the homecoming parade as alumni, students, bands, organizations and the Orangeburg community coming together. If you live or work near downtown, here's how Saturday, October 24, plays out according to SC State's posted schedule:

1. 7:00 to 7:45 a.m. Parade check-in and line-up.
2. 7:30 a.m. Roads around the parade close.
3. 8:30 a.m. The homecoming parade begins in downtown Orangeburg.
4. 11:00 a.m. The XI PSI Alumni Association's "The Ultimate Tailgate" opens at the football practice field.
5. 12:30 p.m. Road closures end.
6. 1:30 p.m. Kickoff against Norfolk State at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium | Willie E. Jeffries Field.

That leaves one hour between the roads reopening downtown and kickoff across town. Traffic toward the stadium shows up in two waves, first for the parade and then for the game. Game tickets cost $50 for adults and youth ages 3 to 17 if you buy in advance, and $60 on game day.

For regular-season parking, SC State's August 2026 guide for the season opener put parking passes and game-day tickets at Gate 2. It listed Gate 1 at Buckley and Russell streets and Gate 3 at Magnolia and Geathers streets, and it noted that fans may tailgate in the parking lots. That guide covered the opener. Homecoming parking prices and tailgate hours had not been posted as of this writing.

The visitors spread out into town too. The Bulldog Homecoming site lists nearby hotels for guests and links to Orangeburg Chamber dining information. In WLTX's coverage of a past SC State homecoming, the station reported that hotels filled up and restaurants and vendors saw more business. If you're planning dinner out downtown that weekend, expect company.

Claflin's weekend leaves campus

Four weeks later, Claflin's schedule sends much more of its homecoming out to the rest of Orangeburg. Its 2026 brochure lists events at the Claflin University Student Center at 1810 Magnolia Street, and also at a church, a conference center and an event venue across town.

These are the off-campus addresses on the 2026 schedule:

• Trinity United Methodist Church, 185 Boulevard Street. The Claflin University Alumni Choir Concert, Thursday, November 19, at 7 p.m. A Friday morning alumni committee meeting is also listed here, by invitation only.
• Orangeburg Conference Center, 1646 Russell Street. The Claflin University Leadership Luncheon, Friday, November 20, at 11:30 a.m.
• SuLit Luxe Affair, 1005 Broughton Street. The Inaugural Alumni Mixer featuring DJ Sweat on Saturday night, $50. The brochure's cover lists the CU Wine Down for Friday, November 20, at 9 p.m., featuring the Live in the Flesh Experience band and DJ T.O., $60.

The brochure's layout makes the Wine Down day a little hard to pin down, so check it with the university before you plan around it.

The on-campus events mostly take the form of ticketed galas. The 40 Under 40 Awards Gala opens the weekend on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Student Center for $150. The Presidential Scholarship Gala fills the Student Center's third floor on Friday at 6 p.m. for $300.

Saturday, November 21, has the most going on, and the events overlap. The parade starts at 9 a.m. Alumni group photos for the 1s and 6s, the Divine Nine and athletics run from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the HV Manning Library. The Panther Den and Tailgate Experience runs from noon to 3 p.m. with Burgess Brothers Famous Barbecue and the Live in the Flesh Experience band. Tickets are $25, and the proceeds go to need-based scholarships. The Lady Panthers tip off against Lincoln University at 1 p.m. while the tailgate is still going, and the Panthers follow at 3 p.m. The brochure lists Sunday, November 22, as a worship service at the church of your choice.

Because the big game is basketball, Claflin's Saturday crowd heads indoors in the afternoon, while SC State's football crowd fills a stadium. With the luncheon on Russell Street, the church concert on Boulevard Street and two nights at SuLit Luxe Affair on Broughton Street, Claflin's weekend reaches more parts of the city.

What neither school has posted yet

A few things you'd want to know as a resident aren't in the published material:

• Parade routes. SC State lists its parade location as "Downtown Orangeburg" and says nearby roads will close from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., but it doesn't name the streets. Claflin's brochure gives the 9 a.m. start time and no route.
• Homecoming parking. SC State's 2026 parking details posted so far cover the season opener only.
• Yard Fest's location. It's still listed as to be announced.

The City of Orangeburg posts its news on its announcements page, and the university sites are the best places to watch for route and parking updates as the two weekends get closer.

The lights likely come on the next night

The City's own season may begin the night after Claflin's weekend ends. The City says the Children's Garden Christmas Walk at Edisto Memorial Gardens runs from the Monday before Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. It includes a drive-through route along Riverside Drive and a Kids' Walk, with lights on nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. and free admission. Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, so by that rule opening night would be Monday, November 23, the night after Claflin's Sunday close. The City's page doesn't give a 2026 date, though, so that opening night is a projection until the City confirms it.

The City has been building its own events downtown as well. In June it held the first Orangeburg Heritage Festival on the Russell Street square, organized with Orangeburg County and the Orangeburg Historical Society, as WIS reported.

At Synergy Group Properties, we keep track of Orangeburg's calendar the way neighbors do: which Saturday the roads close, which weekend the hotels fill, when the gardens light up. If you have questions about life or property in Orangeburg, from game-day traffic to what's being planned downtown, contact us and we'll get back to you quickly.