Penn State’s Homecoming parade returns this week. See the route, which roads will close

Matt DiSanto
·4 min read

Between Penn State’s Homecoming parade and another State High football game at Memorial Field, the downtown State College area should be buzzing with activity on Friday night. Those heading to Happy Valley should anticipate plenty of congestion and road closures to boot.

Penn State’s Homecoming parade will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, starting in front of the Intramural Building along Curtin Road and ending at the northern edge of campus after passing through downtown State College. University police and plenty of signs will direct traffic at nearby intersections and along the parade route, but drivers should be ready to take an alternative route or encounter potential delays.

Here’s what to know if you’re driving to the area this weekend.

Penn State Homecoming parade road closures

Roads along Penn State’s parade route will close at 5:30 p.m. Friday, and parked vehicles must be removed before the parade begins. You can head online to view an interactive map of the parade route and visitor parking options.

Porter Road will close to all northbound traffic from Hastings Road to Curtin Road from 5:30 p.m. until the parade concludes. The Curtin Road exit, plus Porter Road exits Nos. 2, 3 and 4 out of Lot 44 will also close. The No. 5 exit from Lot 44 to Porter Road will be used for entry online, Penn State Homecoming says.

No traffic can exit onto Porter Road until the parade route is cleared. Traffic exiting Lot 44 must travel west on Dauer Drive south of the Bryce Jordan Center, where vehicles can turn north or south on University Drive.

Additionally, sections of Lot Yellow H at the IM Building and the Wagner Building will close starting at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Vehicles must be removed from those lots by 5:30 p.m.

The Penn State Homecoming parade route is shown in red on this map.
The Penn State Homecoming parade route is shown in red on this map.

Penn State students and employees who do not want to leave their cars in closed lots until the parade ends should remove their vehicles from the following areas before 5:30 p.m. Friday:

  • Yellow H Shields Building

  • Yellow H (IM Building)

  • Yellow H (Wagner Building)

  • Orange J (McCoy Natatorium)

  • Lot 42 (north of Building 14)

  • Lot 81 (at Ritner/Wolf Halls and Pollock Building — must exit to Mifflin Road and travel south to McKean Road)

  • HUB Parking Deck (Yellow C)

  • Yellow J (Atherton Hall)

  • Yellow N (College Avenue in front of Health and Human Development Building)

  • Lot Brown A (Reber and Deike buildings)

Pollock Road will remain open to Burrowes Road for vehicles exiting Lot Brown A Willard, Brown E Fraser Road and Old Main, Penn State Homecoming says.

Those who can’t attend Penn State’s Homecoming parade in person can view an online stream produced by Penn State students at homecoming.psu.edu.

State High will play Harrisburg at 7 p.m. Friday at Memorial Field in downtown State College. Drivers heading to the game should expect heavy traffic near the field, including along Nittany Avenue, Fraser Street and Allen Street.

Penn State Homecoming information

Penn State women’s basketball alumna and Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright will serve as this year’s grand marshal, while Penn State Blue Band director Gregory Drane fills the role of honorary grand marshal. The 2023 Penn State Homecoming theme is “Illuminate the Lion Within.”

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Following the Homecoming parade, Penn State’s annual “Guard the Lion Shrine” event will stretch from about 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Nittany Lion Shrine. Each year, members of Penn State’s Army ROTC program stand guard to “protect” the campus landmark while guests enjoy live entertainment, guest speakers, free food and more.

Legend says the tradition began when Sue Paterno and a friend covered the shrine in easily removable latex paint to fire up fans before Penn State faced Syracuse in that year’s Homecoming game. The next year, Syracuse fans struck back and used an oil-based paint to one-up the prank. Since then, guarding the shrine has become a beloved Homecoming tradition.

This year’s Penn State Homecoming festivities will conclude when the Nittany Lions host UMass at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Beaver Stadium, televised live on the Big Ten Network. No. 6-ranked Penn State (5-0) will try to beat UMass (1-6) again after defeating the Minutemen 48-7 in their first-ever meeting back in 2014.