A century after Queen’s first Homecoming, alumni returned to Kingston to reunite with classmates, revisit familiar spaces, and relive campus traditions.
From Oct. 16-18, Queen’s celebrated Homecoming 100 with reunions for graduating classes ending in one and six, alongside celebrations for alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago, known collectively as the Tricolour Guard.
According to the Queen’s Alumni Instagram account, the University hosted over 115 events for alumni, families, and students, with approximately 4,700 registrants representing 81 participating classes.
Derek Yates, Comm ’91, travelled from England for Homecoming, returning 35 years after graduation. In an interview with The Journal, Yates recalled memories of Queen’s spirit and sense of community.
“[Queen’s] did feel like a big family,” he said.
He remembered the street parties, which he described as “fairly wild.” Yates said Queen’s reputation was so “wild” that people who were not from Queen’s would come to attend.
This year, he and fellow alumni were surprised by the quieter campus when they arrived on Friday, not realizing that student celebrations took place on a different weekend.
Homecoming dates overlap with Queen’s fall reading week, when many students are away from campus. Students’ unofficial Homecoming celebrations, known as fake homecoming or “FOCO,” were scheduled for the following weekend.
READ MORE: Why Queen’s moved its Homecoming dates—and why students and alumni are frustrated
However, as students returned from Reading Week on Sunday, Yates said the atmosphere began to resemble what he remembered.
In an interview with The Journal, Will Turner, Connor Winters, and Connor Good, all Comm ’21, said returning to Kingston meant reconnecting with friends who once lived only minutes away.
The three commerce graduates shared a house during their fourth year at Queen’s and returned to Kingston for their five-year reunion, marking their first Homecoming since graduation.
“You come back, and you see a lot of people who you had those strong relationships with in fourth year that you don’t necessarily get to see after you graduated,” Good said.
Returning to Queen’s also highlighted the difference between their lives as students and their lives after graduation.
Turner said many commerce classmates settled in Toronto after graduating, but even living in the same city could not recreate the closeness that Queen’s provided. He said it’s “so different from […] being a five-minute walk from everybody.”
“You really take it for granted how close to everything and everyone who are important to you is when you’re here,” Good said.
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HOCO 100, Homecoming 2026, Queen's alumni
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