The Rose Bowl Stadium was filled with energy on the night of Sept. 20 as over 1,000 students gathered for this year’s Homecoming (HOCO) Dance. The theme of the dance was “When the Stars Align,” and students arrived at the venue just moments before the sun went down.
For many, this was their first school dance.
“This was my first time going to Homecoming,” said sophomore Harmony Wong. “The environment was nice, and it was fun getting to dress up and hangout with my friends. We went to my friend’s house before HOCO to get ready together and film TikToks.”
The doors opened at approximately 7 p.m., and students hopped onto escalators that took them to the very top of the building, where the actual venue was located.
The venue overlooked the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) football field, and the outdoor area of the venue was part of the stadium seating. Many students posed for pictures with goalposts and UCLA colors in the background.
Besides room to dance and take pictures, there were a lot of activities for students to enjoy. There were two types of photo booths (regular photostrips and flipbooks), an air hockey table, a ping pong table, karaoke, and a live band playing ‘70s and ‘80s soft rock hits such as “Peg” by Steely Dan.
Notably smaller than last year’s venue, the Rose Bowl was filled with action the entire night. Because of the size, it was easy for students to find their friends and socialize with the people around them. However, there were many complaints about the size of the mosh pit and how humid and hot it was inside as a result of that.
“It was slick, literally and metaphorically. The ground was slippery from all the sweat, and it was really hot. But once you stayed there long enough, you got used to it, and it became super fun and really ‘slick’ (cool),” said senior Clinton Truong.
Both the DJ and the music were received very well.
“I thought the music was surprisingly trendy and really set the tone for the night,” said junior Jayden Cheung. “The DJ did a great job of mashing the music.”
Students jumped up and down all night long and sang loudly to popular hits. One memorable song that the DJ played was “Soda Pop” from the movie KPop Demon Hunters. The yells of “you’re my soda pop” could be heard from all the way outside the dance area.
Overall, Homecoming was a great opportunity for students to make lasting memories with friends and take a break from the academic rigors of daily life. As the last song of the night—“Dancing Queen” by ABBA—played, students were seen hugging their friends and jumping together happily. After the dance, students went out to get something to eat or simply went home to sleep after such an exciting night.
“I think everyone should go to at least one HOCO in their life,” said Cheung.
