Homecoming looked a little different this year with the biggest change being the venue. Through the combination of COVID-19 restrictions and an effort to make homecoming as normal as possible, the dance floor migrated to the football field. The “out of this world” themed event took place on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the newly renovated Mustang Stadium with an increased ticket price of $30 presale or $35 at the door.

Unlike years before, this homecoming dance was the first school dance both the freshmen and sophomores got to experience. For upperclassmen, the changes did not go unnoticed. Senior J Dziewinski shared their thoughts on the outdoor venue expressing approval in the new atmosphere.

“I thought the homecoming this year was actually super good. Despite all the COVID regulations, DGS managed to pull off a great event,” Dziewinski said.

In addition to the venue relocation, three new components were added to the homecoming agenda: dessert trucks, a firework display and a space-themed photobooth. While the administration’s goal was to provide an enjoyable experience through the new amenities, the $10 increase on the price tag produced mixed emotions. Junior Taylor Neal spoke about her thoughts on the ticket prices and how it affected the homecoming experience.

“I did not like how it was $10 more expensive. I think that if it was a little bit cheaper, more people would have been able to go. . . but I think that [the fireworks] were worth the $10 price increase. I really liked that aspect of homecoming. I’d say that the fireworks were probably my favorite part of the night,” said Neal.

Despite the dance floor being taken to the turf, one thing stayed the same: the dancing. In typical homecoming fashion, students sang, cheered and moshed to the DJing provided by Monster Entertainment, though several criticized their performance. Junior Ben Paladino compared the quality of this year’s DJ to the 2019 DJ expressing disappointment in the music played.

“I didn’t really think he even came close to the DJ from homecoming 2019 because the DJ from this year only really interacted with the people in the front of the crowd [and] didn’t play a lot of popular music that a majority of the crowd liked. This year’s DJ really only played rap which no one was really vibing with,” said Paladino.

Because homecoming has been one of the biggest all-school events since the pandemic, several different groups worked hard to provide students with a memorable experience. Michael Reyes, supervisor of buildings & grounds commended his department’s work facilitating the homecoming dance.

“We had a stage we had to build, we had to supply power, given the fact that this was our first dance outside. We didn’t really have the electrical infrastructure out there in the first place and with the new stadium, that allowed us to have access to the power that was accessible and active enough. As far as our responsibilities go. . . cleaning up and setting up and making sure the equipment was there, additional lighting, making sure that people that are going to be running it know where things are. I believe that we followed through with our portion of what we do for the homecoming dance,” said Reyes.

The “out of this world” space-themed homecoming did not go uncriticized but was generally enjoyed by the student body and may open the possibility for more outdoor dances.

Read the previous story on ticket prices:

Read the previous story about the event information release: