We are excited to welcome our families back to UCA’s campus with our Fall 2025 Family Weekend on September 12-13, 2025!
Friday, September 12th
Family Movie Night
How to Train Your Dragon
8:00 – 10:00 pm – Arkansas Hall Lawn | Free
Families are invited to join your student for a fun movie night on the lawn of Arkansas Hall! We’ll be showing How to Train your Dragon. Refreshments will be provided. The movie will begin around 9 pm. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs!
Hosted by: Student Activities Board and First Year Experience
Saturday, September 13th
Downtown Conway Farmers’ and Crafts Market
8:00 am – 12:00 pm – 718 Parkway Street | Website
Farmers, bakers, and makers offering a variety of vegetables, baked goods, honey, meat, eggs, flowers, and a large variety of handmade crafts.
Parent & Family Programs Brunch
10:00 am – 11:30 am – Student Center Ballroom | $15 per person
Guest Speaker: Dr. Michael Hargis, Provost and Executive Vice President
Continental brunch will be served. First-year students and families are especially welcomed. Registration required.
REGISTER NOW
Hosted by: Parent and Family Programs
Shop the UCA Bookstore
10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Student Center First Floor
Pick out something new to show your Bear pride! Textbooks and school supplies for all your class needs as well as apparel, spirit wear, gift items, and various fiction and nonfiction book titles. To find out more about the bookstore, feel free to call 501-450-3414.
Hosted by: The UCA Bookstore
Living Learning Communities Open House
11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Living Learning Communities’ Lobbies across campus | Free
Come check out your student’s Living Learning Community and learn about their hall’s specific focus and service-learning projects for the year. Meet the halls’ Academic Coordinators and Community Mentors and see their classroom space!
Hosted by: Living Learning Communities
Fun Fair
2:00 pm- 5:30 pm – Practice Football Field | Free (Liability Waiver Required)
Fun for the whole family! Enjoy one of the many inflatable attractions, play lawn games, enjoy bubbles, and more! UCA students can also pick up a free UCA Family Weekend t-shirt (while supplies last)! Free hotdogs and other concessions will be available.
Hosted by: Office of Student Life
Bruce’s Battle Station
2:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Farris Center Parking Lot | Free
Get battle ready with the UCA Bears! Tailgate games, face painting, pom-poms and the chance to meet Bruce and Sugar Bear!
Hosted by: UCA Athletics
Alumni Tailgate
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Bruce Street | $10 per person
Enjoy food and festivities before the football game! Members of the UCA Alumni Association can enjoy a complimentary meal provided by Uncle Tim’s Food Truck and Point Remove Brewing in the Buffalo Alumni Hall Courtyard from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Non-members may eat for $10/person.
Hosted by: UCA Alumni Association
UCA Bears vs. Tarleton State Texan Riders
6:00 pm – Estes Stadium | $10 per person (w/discount code)
Join us on The Stripes as your UCA Bears Football team takes on the Tarleton State Texan Riders. Family Weekend attendees may purchase discounted tickets to the football game by using discount code FAMILY25 during checkout.
BUY TICKETS NOW
Hosted by: UCA Athletics
Planetarium Show
The Sun: Our Living Star
7:00 pm – Dr. Edmond E. Griffin Planetarium (in the Conway Corporation Center for the Sciences | Free
The Sun has shone on our world for four and a half billion years. The light that warms our skin today has been felt by every person who has ever lived. It is our nearest star and our planet’s powerhouse, the source of the energy that drives our winds, our weather and all life. The passage of the Sun’s fiery disc across the sky — day by day, month by month — was the only way to keep track of time for countless past civilizations. Don’t be fooled by the terminology; although it is a typical dwarf star, the Sun consumes 600 million tons of hydrogen each second and is 500 times as massive as all the planets combined. Discover the secrets of our star in this planetarium show and experience never-before-seen images of the Sun’s violent surface in immersive full-dome format.
Hosted by: Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Engineering
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I park?
We encourage you to park in the lot at the intersection of Donaghey Avenue and Torreyson Street or the lot behind Donaghey Hall. There is also limited visitor parking in the lot behind Schichtl. You are permitted to park in any parking space on campus that is not reserved or a designated handicap space. View the Campus Map for help in navigating campus and parking lots.
What lodging is available for families?
The Conway Convention and Visitors Bureau maintains a list of available lodging in the community.
