OCTOBER 17, 2022 — This year’s Homecoming Week features an exciting array of events designed to bring the UTSA community together to celebrate Roadrunner pride and traditions. Festivities run through Saturday, October 22.
The featured event for Homecoming Week is BestFest from 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday, October 21, outside the Conovcation Center on Main Campus. Hosted by Roadrunner Productions and Student Activities, this fun-filled, family-friendly event offers dozens of food, beverage and game booths run by student organizations as well as interactive activities, musical entertainment, carnival rides and a fireworks display.
This year’s BestFest headliner is singer-songwriter Tai Verdes. His breakout single, “Stuck in the Middle,” landed him the No. 1 spot on Spotify’s U.S. Viral 50 chart, amassed more than 120 million streams and has supported over 3.5 million TikTok creations that have been viewed over three billion times.
His follow-up single, “A-O-K,” followed a similar path, earning more than 300 million streams, 1.3 million TikTok creations and a No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Emerging Artist chart. Additionally, the song landed at No. 12 on the Top 40 Pop Radio chart and No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. Verdes has performed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Today Show” and at Lollapalooza 2021 in front of a crowd of 35,000 people.
BestFest features a fireworks show, carnival rides and a concert. The event will take place Friday outside the Convocation Center.
Beyond BestFest is a series of Homecoming events featuring Roadrunner traditions:
Celebrations at the Downtown Campus include the Homecoming Blitz, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 18, at Bill Miller Plaza at the Downtown Campus. Guests can enjoy games, food and freebies at the event.
Be on the lookout for the Student Government Association’s Rowdy Prize Cab. This version of “Cash Cab” will feature members of the SGA traveling around campus to pick up students for a ride to class while asking them UTSA trivia for prizes, including BestFest tickets. The cab will be making its rounds at the Downtown Campus, starting at the Bill Miller Plaza, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 18; and at the Main Campus, starting at the Sombrilla Plaza, from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, October 20.
Take Back the Night, hosted by the PEACE Center and UTSA Women’s Studies Institute, delivers a night of music, poetry and history in solidarity and support of survivors and advocates in the fight to end domestic violence. The event begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 18.
Unwind and take in some laughs at the Homecoming Comedy Show, which begins at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19. Featuring three talented comedians—Biniam Bizuneh, Opey Olagbaju and Andrew Lopez—this comedy showcase is sure to entertain.
Voting for the Spirit of the Roadrunner will take place from October 18 to 20. Students can vote via the Homecoming website or RowdyLink for the peers they believe embody the spirit of UTSA while striving for the highest levels of academic achievement, campus involvement and community service.
Homecoming Week finishes strong with the Homecoming football game at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 22, at the Alamodome. Cheer on the ’Runners as they take on the Mean Green of the University of North Texas. Start at the Student Indoor Tailgate, see the Spirit of the Roadrunner announcement at halftime, and celebrate following the game.
