Half-time at the Football Game

Changes to the Football Half-time Parade

You’ll notice a few further changes to Homecoming half-time at the football game this year. After consultation with Homecoming stakeholders, only members of the Tricolour Guard are invited to march in this year’s half-time parade. 

The half-time parade has become longer and longer in recent years as a result of increasing class sizes. This year we are expecting one of our largest turnouts ever, with over 90 classes and groups. There is no way to accommodate getting that number of people around a parade route in the time allotted for game half-time by the Ontario University Athletics Association (11 minutes). Taking longer than the time allotted can result in game forfeiture for the Queen's Gaels. 

In recent years alumni have also told us the half-time parade was no longer the positive experience it had been in previous years. Some alumni complained that they were unable to get all the way around the stadium due to the parade’s length, and they were missing large portions of the game to line up and wait for half-time to begin. 

Two years ago, for the inaugural opening of the revitalized Richardson Stadium, there was no half-time parade during the football game at all. Since then, working with Homecoming stakeholders to come up with a solution that would accommodate logistical constraints, the alumni parade is back with a new format to focus on the most senior members of the Queen’s Alumni family – the Tricolour Guard (alumni classes that graduated 1968 and earlier). 

We understand this may be disappointing for some alumni from other classes, but we hope everyone will join Queen’s Bands and the rest of the spectators in celebrating these great alumni who have supported Queen’s for the past 50+ years. 

Tricolour Guard members will require a field pass to participate in the parade. If you purchased your football ticket with your Homecoming registration, your field pass will be included in your registration package. If you have purchased your football tickets separately, please contact our Reunions Team for information on how to ensure you can participate in the parade. 

The Queen’s Bands-led march from campus to Richardson Stadium will continue this year. All alumni are invited to join the march, which will leave from Grant Hall at 11:30 am.