Taylor Thornberg
Spectrum Editor

VCU’s Homecoming 2015 is starting with a bang, and this year’s theme, “Empire,” is shaping the week’s events.

The festivities kicked off on Sunday with the VCU women’s basketball team playing University of Massachusetts in Rams country, and continues with events and spirit days throughout the week.

Monday will feature the spirit day “Ram Horns.” Students can wear any VCU-related headgear to show their Rams pride. Students can attend the “Royal Lunch” at the Larrick Student Center Ballroom on the MCV campus at noon, with free food, music and prize giveaways.

That evening, everyone is invited to “Light up the Night,” the official kickoff to homecoming week. The event will be in the Commons Ballroom at 6 p.m. with food, games, raffle prizes, music and other activities.

Tuesday’s spirit day will be “All Gold Everything.” Students can participate by wearing gold jewelry and accessories. Tuesday’s events will begin with an all-day blood drive in the Commons Plaza. Tuesday night will be “VCU’s Got Talent,” a performance from students showcasing a variety of skills and talents. The show will be in the Commons Ballroom at 6 p.m. and participants will compete for the title of the most talented Ram on campus.

Wednesday’s spirit day will be “Black and Gold.” Students can participate by wearing any black and gold apparel. Wednesday night, the men’s basketball team will play University of Richmond in the Spiders’ arena. A watch party and pep rally will be held in the Siegel Center. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the pep rally starts at 6 p.m. Students will be able to meet VCU athletes and coaches, enjoy a bouncy house and watch the game at 7 p.m. on the new jumbo screen.

Thursday’s spirit day is “Spirit Fingers,” and students can sport black and gold nail polish or black and gold Band-Aids. Thursday afternoon will be a service event called “Build Your Empire.” Teams will compete to build an “empire” using donated canned goods. The event will be in the Richmond Salons in the Commons at 3 p.m. Thursday night is the big homecoming concert, with headliner Chance the Rapper and openers Magic! and Chaz French. Student tickets are still on sale for $15, and will be $25 the day of the show.

Friday will be the final spirit day, “Ram Pride,” where students can participate by wearing any VCU apparel they have. A karaoke night will be held on the MCV campus in the Court End Ballroom at 4 p.m. with free food and a cash bar for those 21 and older. Later in the evening, the Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned at the “Reign of the Ram” event, a pageant where contestants will compete in catigories including spirit apparel, lip syncing and others.

Saturday is game day, as well as “The Grande Coronation,” which features all the game day events. The day begins with the annual Homecoming parade, hosted by Students Today Alumni Tomorrow. The parade begins at 11 a.m. at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, and will head up to Broad Street and loop back to end at the Commons. Students are invited to watch the parade or join in by registering online. The next event of the day will be the tailgate, starting at noon, featuring bouncy houses and other inflatables, food trucks and vendor tents.

Although tickets to the homecoming game are sold out, students can still watch VCU take on University of Dayton in the Commons at 1:30 p.m., where a watch party will provide free food.

Monday, 23:

T-shirt swap with STAT
Commons Theater and Lobby @ noon

Royal Lunch
Larrick Center Student Ballroom (MCV) @ noon
A free lunch with music and giveaways to break up the monotony of Monday.

Light Up the Night
Commons Ballroom @ 6 p.m.
The homecoming week kickoff with games, food, raffle prizes, music and other activities.

Spirit day
Ram Horns: Wear your most spirited headgear.

Tuesday, 24:

Blood Drive
Commons Plaza, all day
Donate blood and save a life between classes.

Art Gala
Commons: James River Terrace

VCU’s Got Talent
Commons Ballroom @ 6 p.m.
VCU students show off their talents to compete for most talented Ram.

Spirit day
All Gold Everything: Wear all gold jewelry or accessories.

Wednesday, 25:

“Rep Yo Class”
Commons Theater and Lobby @ noon

Pep Rally and Watch Party – Siegel Center, doors @ 5:30, event starts at 6 p.m. Meet with VCU athletes and coaches, hop on a moon bounce, and watch the men’s basketball team take on University of Richmond on the jumbo screen.

Spirit day
Black and Gold: Wear all your black and gold apparel.

Thursday, 26:

Rodney Ram Photo-Op
Commons Theater and Lobby @ noon
Take pictures with the school mascot.

Build Your Empire
Commons Richmond Salons @ 3 p.m.
A competitive service event where teams must build an empire using collected canned food, must register online to participate.

Ram Fest Homecoming Concert
Siegel Center, doors open @ 6 p.m.
Chance the Rapper, Magic! and Chaz French will take the stage for VCU’s homecoming concert. Student seated tickets are $15 online and $25 the day of the show.

Spirit day
Spirit Fingers: Wear black and gold nails or band-aids.

Friday, 27:

Unity Stroll-Off
Commons Lobby @ noon

VCU’s Karaoke Night
Court End Ballroom (MCV campus) @ 4 p.m.
Karaoke, free food and a cash bar for those 21 and up.

Reign of the Ram
Commons Ballroom @ 6 p.m.
The Homecoming Court Pageant will have Homecoming King and Queen contestants competing for the crown by lip-syncing and wearing their school spirit.

Spirit day
Ram Pride: Wear anything that shows off your school spirit.

Saturday, 28:

Parade
Starts at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School @ 11 a.m.
The parade will loop and walk up Broad Street, ending back at the Commons. Watch or register to join the parade online.

Tailgate
Floyd Avenue in front of the Commons @ noon
Food trucks, bouncy house, and a real tailgate experience.

The Homecoming Game
Siegel Center @ 2 p.m.
The men’s basketball team will play Dayton. Tickets are sold out but there will be a watch party.

Watch Party
Student Commons @ 1:30 p.m.
For those who didn’t get tickets to the game, free food will be provided as you watch the game from outside.