We are excited to welcome our families back to UCA’s campus with our Fall 2023 Family Weekend on October 6-8, 2023!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6
Conway Art Walk
5:00 – 8:00 pm – Downtown Conway | Free
Conway Art Walk offers a monthly arts and culture event to Central Arkansas featuring local artists, musicians, and immersive art experiences through a monthly event in Downtown Conway on First Fridays. This seasonal event happens eight months out of the year, with a fall season (Sep-Dec) and spring season (Mar-Jun). The Conway Art Walk is always free and open to the public. Activities and entertainment include:
- Artist Talk with professional artist Faye Hedera in the Arnold Innovation Center (1201 Oak St.)
- Demo Artist Jess Cole will show linoleum printmaking
- Homeward Realty’s 2nd Annual Chili Cook-off benefiting pancreatic cancer research at UAMS
- Conway Fashion Show featuring new upcoming lines for the 2024 season by local boutiques (at the Studio Downtown)
- Conway Chamber’s Fall Crawl – Start at H&N Architects (1109 Main St.) for drinks, appetizers, and specials throughout downtown Conway restaurants, bars, and businesses!
- Kids’ STEAM Zone with the Faulkner County Library on Chestnut Street (in front of Squizito Olive Oil)
- Downtown Boutique Shopping
Hosted by: Creative Institute of Central Arkansas
Family Movie Night
8:00 – 10:30 pm – Arkansas Hall Lawn | Free
Families are invited to join your student for a fun movie night on the lawn of Arkansas Hall. We will be showing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. There will also be fun lawn games and concessions available. The movie will begin at dusk.
Hosted by: Student Activities Board
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7
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.
First-Gen Family Photograph Tea
9:00 – 10:00 am & 11:30 am – 12:30 pm – Student Center, Suite 202 | Free
Come get your family portrait taken with our professional photographer and enjoy some iced tea while visiting with other first-gen families.
Hosted by: Office of Student Success and Division of Student Affairs
Parent and Family Programs Brunch
10:00 am – 11:30 am – Student Center Ballroom | $15
Guest Speaker: Dr. Robin Williamson, Vice President of Student Affairs
Continental brunch will be served. First-year students and families are especially welcomed. Seating is limited, so be sure to register today!
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
17th Annual Conway ArtsFest
10:00 am – 2:00 pm – 5th Avenue Park | Free
Get creative with hands-on art activities for people of all ages, watch live performances from local schools and artists, see art demonstrations up close, and grab a free hot dog grilled by Conway Kiwanis.
Hosted by: Conway Alliance for the Arts (CAFTA)
Baum Gallery Exhibition
11:00 am – 5:00 pm – McCastlain Hall | Free
Come check out the Baum Gallery’s current exhibition Arkansas Women to Watch: New Worlds, running August 24 – October 13, 2023.
Hosted by: The Baum Gallery
Fun Fair
11:00 am – 3:00 pm – Practice Football Field | Free (Liability Waiver Required)
Fun for the whole family! Enjoy one of the many inflatable attractions, play lawn games, and more! Make sure to check in at the Student Life table to complete your waiver and pick up your free meal ticket for lunch in the Cafeteria. UCA students can also pick up a free UCA Family Weekend t-shirt (while supplies last)! Concessions will be available.
Hosted by: Office of Student Life
Bruce’s Battle Station
11:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Farris Center Parking Lot
Get battle ready with the UCA Bears! Tailgate games, face tattoos, pom-poms and the chance to meet Bruce and Sugar Bear!
Tailgating
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Bruce Street
Enjoy food and festivities before the football game! Members of the UCA Alumni Association can enjoy a complimentary meal provided by Tacos4Life in the Buffalo Alumni Hall Courtyard from 2-4 p.m. Non-members may eat for $5.
UCA Bears vs. Southeast Missouri Redhawks
4:00 pm – Estes Stadium
Join us on The Stripes as your UCA Bears Football team takes on the Redhawks of Southeast Missouri State.
Family Weekend participants may use coupon code FAMILYWEEKEND23 to receive a 50% discount on general admission tickets through Friday, October 6.
Hosted by: UCA Athletics
Planetarium Show
7:00 pm – Dr. Edmond E. Griffin Planetarium in the Conway Corporation Center for the Sciences | Free
Come visit the Dr. Edmond E. Griffin Planetarium for the one-hour presentation Unveiling the Invisible Universe.
For thousands of years the humans observed the light coming from the night sky with their eyes. In the beginning of the 17th century, the invention of the telescope by Galileo revolutionized our knowledge of the Universe. Finally, in the 20th century with the advent of rockets, it became possible to go above the earth’s atmosphere and observe X-ray and gamma ray radiation which are the marks of the hot and violent Universe. But it is not only light that can give us information about the cosmos. Neutrinos and cosmic rays also provide vital information. Finally, the detection by the LIGO experiment of gravitational waves from two merging black holes opened a new window in astrophysics. This video presents images of the cosmos as revealed by all these different messengers.
Entry to the planetarium starts at 6:50 pm. Seating is on a first-come basis with maximum capacity of 94. No food or drink is allowed.
Hosted by: Dr. Edmond E. Griffin Planetarium
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8
UCA Women’s Soccer vs. Eastern Kentucky
12:00 pm – Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex
UCA Women’s Soccer taken on Eastern Kentucky beginning at noon. Tickets may be purchased at the door.
This is a Pink Out game for Breast Cancer awareness.
Hosted by: UCA Athletics
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.
