The Eagles run onto the field at the NCCU Ultimate Homecoming Football Game vs the Morgan State Bears, Oct 26, 2024, O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
photo by: A.J. Alston

Durham Guide to NCCU Homecoming

Posted By Discover Durham Staff

First Homecoming or your 50th, Discover Durham has you covered. Book your stay, map your week, and save room for the fish fry.

Details & Tickets Events Events Around Durham Parking & Weather Where to Stay Where to Eat and Drink In the Neighborhood

The Sound Machine Marching Band’s horns. Smoke rolling off a hundred grills at the tailgate. A sea of maroon and gray across O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. A hug from someone you haven't seen since graduation. There is a reason it’s The Ultimate Homecoming Experience.

North Carolina Central University opened its doors in 1910 as the vision of Dr. James E. Shepard, a pharmacist, educator and businessman who helped build Durham's Black Wall Street. It became the first state-supported liberal arts college for Black students in the nation. Students graduate from NCCU and go on to impact Durham, the state and the country.

More than a century after NCCU’s founding, thousands of alumni, students and fans return to Fayetteville Street every October to honor that legacy. It's a family reunion and a block party all rolled into nine days.

North Carolina Central University Homecoming 2026 Details and Tickets 

Dates: Friday, October 2-Saturday, October 10, 2026 
Big game: NCCU Eagles vs. William & Mary, Saturday, Oct. 10, 1 p.m., O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium

NCCU Homecoming tickets are sold event by event, so build your own schedule. Many alumni events carry a per-person price. Signature events, programming and tickets are sold by the university through their website and Homecoming portal. Get your homecoming game tickets through the NCCU Football site.

Official Homecoming Website and Tickets 

People pose at the NCCU Ultimate Homecoming Football Game vs the Morgan State Bears, Oct 26, 2024, O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
photo by: A.J. Alston

NCCU Homecoming 2026 Highlights + What To Expect 

Homecoming is more than a game, it's a weeklong celebration of Eagle Pride. The NC Central University Homecoming concert headliners NoCap, BabyChiefDoit and Bunna B will have the Nest rocking all night long. Fraternity and Sorority Life organizations take the stage for the Step Show, one of the most anticipated — and most packed — events of the week. And Fayetteville Street turns into an Eagles party from the parade until the last charcoals from the tailgates are extinguished.  

Build your week. Individual school and class event information can be found on the NCCU Homecoming website. Here's the day-by-day: 

Friday, October 2 

  • Alumni Homecoming Kickoff – Durham Central Park and WNCU 90.7FM PLAYlist Concert Series: Natural Wonder | 6-10pm | Durham Central Park 

Saturday, October 3 

Sunday, October 4 

Monday, October 5

Tuesday, October 6 

Wednesday, October 7 

Thursday, October 8 

Friday, October 9 

Saturday, October 10 

The NCCU Sound Machine marching band performs at the NCCU Ultimate Homecoming Football Game vs the Morgan State Bears, Oct 26, 2024.
photo by: A.J. Alston

After the Final Whistle 

The game ends. The party doesn't. Head to the Library (Greek) Bowl right after the game to mix and mingle. The ACCU Alumni Association’s late-night socials at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel keep the Homecoming party going until the a.m. If you’re looking for more after the game, we have a guide to the best bars and nightlife in Durham.  

For updates, visit nccu.edu/homecoming. 

Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority alumni dance on stage during a stroll-off contest, celebrating Greek life at NCCU's homecoming.

More Events Around Durham 

Durham doesn't slow down for Homecoming. It turns up. The Good Moon music festival and NC Central Homecoming share a weekend. Good Moon’s concerts and events will be taking place at the Durham Performing Arts Center and American Tobacco Campus, so Downtown Durham will be bustling. Book your table, and your room, now. 

Oct 4
Bull City Blues Ramble
Lower end of Rigsbee (PickleBack2/​Motorco), Foster St. (GeerHouse) Washington St. (Wye Junction and Blue Note Grill)
Noon-8pm in 5 venues annually
More Info
More Durham Events
More Info

NCCU Homecoming Week Parking and Weather 

Parking and Getting Around 

Plan your parking before you pack. On-campus parking is available for all campus events and open to visitors, except on Saturday, October 10. On-campus parking is closed to general visitors. 

Off-campus game-day parking: 

  • Durham Chapel Hill Street Garage, 326 E. Chapel Hill St.
  • Durham Centre Parking Garage, 300 W. Morgan St.
  • Corcoran Street Garage, 110 Corcoran St.
  • Durham Technical Community College, 1637 E. Lawson St.
  • Sheraton Imperial Hotel, 4700 Emperor Blvd. (Golden Eagles only, arranged through Alumni Relations) 

NC Central University operates the Ultimate Homecoming Experience Shuttle between downtown and campus. Track the shuttle and get a ride from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. 

People cook and tailgate outside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium at the NCCU Ultimate Homecoming Football Game.
photo by: A.J. Alston

Durham Weather in October 

Early October in Durham usually brings warm afternoons with highs in the low to mid-70s and cool evenings in the 50s. Pack layers, comfortable shoes for the parade and something warm for late nights. Check Durham weather before you head out. 

Where To Stay for NC Central Homecoming 

Homecoming fills Durham fast. Lock in your room and fly back to the nest. Pick a room downtown to be close to the Durham Convention Center for The Soarée and steps away from the city's best cocktails. Or stay at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel for late night alumni events after the football game. Whatever your Homecoming vibe, we have a hotel for you. Browse more hotels in Durham. 

Places to Stay
From dog-friendly hotels to stylish boutiques with rooftop pools, golf resorts and points-earning stays, Durham's places to stay deliver exactly what you need –…
Learn More

Where to Eat and Drink During NCCU Homecoming Weekend 

You'll eat well at the tailgate, but you won’t want to miss out on some of the hot spots for food in Durham. These local businesses are offering exclusive discounts and signature experiences just for Eagles and their guests. 

Fresh food and drinks fill a table at Mezcalito.
photo by: Lydia Stute

Mezcalito Durham

706 Ramseur St.

Right where Fayetteville Street meets Ramseur Street, at the doorstep of downtown, Mezcalito Durham serves Tex-Mex in a big, loud, festive room built around a round bar. Order the birria tacos. Watch bartenders juice and slice mountains of fresh fruit for oversized margaritas. Mezcalito stays open until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, which makes it the move after the step show. Seating is first come, first served. 

Chicken Hut 

3019 Fayetteville St.

Head south on Fayetteville Street to one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in Durham. More than 60 years after their founding, the family-owned restaurant still serves some of the best fried chicken in town, juicy and smothered in silky brown gravy. Load your plate with mac and cheese, yams and collard greens. Then check the daily specials: fried fish, baked spaghetti, meatloaf and oxtails over rice. Bring cash. Chicken Hut doesn't take cards. 

Let's Eat Soul Food 

2514 Fayetteville St.

Right down the street from campus, you'll find one of the best spots in town for soul food. Let's Eat Soul Food is a great spot for friends to sit down and enjoy a meal together. Let's Eat Soul Food has a goal of "bringing people together over dishes piled high with goodness," and they achieve that goal every day. Their menu is full of favorites like chicken wings, pork chops, fried fish, chicken and dumplings and more. Even better, they're open till 1 a.m. on weeknights and 3 a.m. on weekends. 

Boxcar Bar & Arcade 

621 Foster St.

A throwback to coin arcades of decades past, you’ll find everything from Dance Dance Revolution to Mortal Kombat and pinball. If arcade games aren’t your speed, console games are free to play, and you can try out games on an NES and other classic game systems. The woodfired pizzas come with a variety of unique toppings, like barbecued chicken, and the full-service bar has a selection of wines, liquors and other drinks. If you’re 21+ and like games (or great pizza), you’ll have a great night out at Boxcar. 

Juju Durham 

737 Ninth St., Ste 210 

Head to the Ninth Street district for Juju Durham, where open-air fireplaces warm a sprawling patio on a cool October night. Order a round of Asian-fusion small plates for the table — short rib wontons, bao doughnuts — and work your way through the sake list. It's the anniversary dinner your reunion class deserves. Reserve ahead. 

Find more restaurants in Durham. 

In the Neighborhood 

Supporting and investing in Black-owned businesses is part of Durham’s DNA. So walk off the fish fry an explore these Black-owned gems. There's history and culture on every block. 

Durham's Black-Owned Businesses
From our community, for our community.
Learn More

On Campus 

Stand beneath the life-size bronze statue of Dr. James E. Shepard — the campus's favorite photo spot. Step inside the James E. Shepard Memorial Library to see an F.W. Woolworth lunch counter, a piece of civil rights history where protesters challenged segregation. Then head to the NCCU Art Museum, where the permanent collection includes work by Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett and Jacob Lawrence.  

Hayti and Fayetteville Street 

Fayetteville Street once held grand Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival homes built by some of Durham's most prominent Black residents. Then urban renewal came. In the 1960s and '70s, construction of the Durham Freeway cut through the heart of Hayti and erased the Fayetteville-Pettigrew intersection. Many homes were lost. Some survived. The Scarborough House, built in 1916 for funeral home owner J.C. Scarborough and his wife, Daisy, still stands and Scarborough's descendants still own it. 

Start just north of campus at the Hayti Heritage Center. Then wander the College Heights Historic District, where bungalows once housed NCCU professors, business leaders and neighbors like Paul Robeson and Dr. Helen Edmonds. Twelve campus buildings carry the names of College Heights residents. 

Get Outside 

Hop on the American Tobacco Trail where it crosses Fayetteville Street near Chicken Hut. Shoot a few at Hillside Park, just northeast of campus, where local artist Sarahlaine Calva covered the basketball courts in bold, colorful murals. 

People pose with Eddie the Eagle outside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium at the NCCU Ultimate Homecoming Football Game.
photo by: A.J. Alston

Black Wall Street and Downtown Durham 

Follow Dr. Shepard's footsteps to Parrish Street, Durham's historic Black Wall Street, where he helped build North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company and Mechanics and Farmers Bank. Then learn about Durham's civil rights icons at the Museum of Durham History — a must-see Durham museum and an official Homecoming partner. 

Need a map, a tip or a local's opinion? Stop by the Visitor Info Center  at 212 W. Main St. Or stop by our booth in the Vendor Village!  

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