Program Board has been working to make this year’s Homecoming a community-wide celebration for the school’s 50th anniversary.

With the spirit-filled week underway, two of the events Program Board has in store are FAU’s 5th Annual Homecoming Parade and the Fall Family Fest.

This year’s Homecoming Parade is going to be bigger than parades of the past, according to April Turner, director of Homecoming. She said close to 60 float entries are expected and “40 to 45 [will be] student organizations.”

While there are several student organizations at the FAU Boca campus that will be participating, there will also be a strong community presence within the parade, with a couple of local high-school and middle-school bands performing.

The parade will start on Lee Street and go all over campus — passing by the stadium for the first time ever.  It is expected to end by the Housing Lawn, so paraders can go to the Fall Family Fest shortly after.

The Fall Family Fest, which will be hosted by President Saunders, is FAU’s way of getting all students, alumni, faculty and community members to enjoy a few hours of carnival games and free food.

“It’s sort of a give-back to the Boca Raton community,” said Turner.

The Fest has been around for eight years and has traditionally been hosted by the university president.

Alicia Keating, the associate director of Student Involvement and Leadership, said it began as “a collaboration between the Housing Program, the Homecoming Committee, Chartwells, Business Services and the President’s office” in order to bring the university community together.

The event will encompass the entire Housing Lawn, and is expected to attract between 1,000 and 2,000 people. This will also serve as the last chance to pump everyone up for the Homecoming game, which takes place the next day at 4 p.m.

The Homecoming Parade starts at 4:30 p.m. and the Fall Family Fest begins at 5 p.m. Both events take place on Friday, Nov. 4, and are free and open to the public.