You know how some college weekends feel like a forced march of stiff tours and lukewarm coffee? Tulane Parents Weekend 2024 was absolutely not that. Honestly, it was a chaotic, glitter-covered, jazz-fueled marathon that basically took over the entire Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans from November 7 through November 10.
If you weren't there, you missed the Green Wave absolutely dismantling Temple 52-6. It wasn't even close. But the score is only half the story. The real "Wave Weekend" (as the locals and students call it) is this weird, beautiful hybrid where Homecoming, Reunions, and Family Weekend all collide at once. It’s like the university decided to throw every possible celebration into a blender and hit "pulse."
The Vibe Shift: When Parents Met the Crescent City
Most families started trickling in on Thursday, November 7. You could tell immediately because the line at Bearcat Café suddenly became a three-hour wait and every Uber driver in the city was heading toward St. Charles Avenue.
New Orleans isn't a "campus" city in the traditional sense; the city is the campus. One of the coolest early events was over at Tulane Chabad, where they did a "Challah and Cocktails" mixer. It sounds like a small thing, but seeing parents mingling with Mushka and Liebel Lipskier while tearing into fresh bread really set the tone. It wasn't corporate. It felt like home.
Thursday night also featured a fashion show at The Rabbit Hole, a local venue that usually hosts underground bass music or indie acts. Seeing Tulane students modeling vintage gear from Zarad Vintage in front of their moms and dads was a trip. It was New Orleans nightlife 101 for the visiting families—a little loud, a little dark, and totally authentic.
Why Tulane Parents Weekend 2024 Felt Different
Usually, these things are just about visiting the dorms. But this year, the university leaned hard into the "Tipping Point" benefit concert on Friday night.
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They took over the Orpheum Theater downtown. We're talking 13-time Grammy winner Emmylou Harris headlining. Grace Potter was there, too, along with local legends like Jon Cleary. It wasn't just a "school show." It was a legitimate New Orleans music festival that happened to fund student scholarships.
The Academic Side (Yes, They Actually Did Some Learning)
It wasn't all just parties and po-boys. Friday morning was actually pretty dense with info. President Michael Fitts hosted his Speaker Series at Dixon Hall. He brought in Matt Forté—yeah, the Chicago Bears legend who also happens to be a Tulane alum.
They talked about the shift in college athletics and NIL deals. It’s a hot topic right now, and hearing it from a guy who lived the NFL life but started in the Green Wave trenches was genuinely insightful. While that was happening, graduate students were over at Freeman Auditorium doing the "Three Minute Thesis" (3MT) competition. Adebimpe Adegbite won the whole thing for research on using Yoruba proverbs to teach language to kids. Imagine trying to explain years of PhD research in the time it takes to boil an egg. Brutal, but impressive.
The Tailgate Village and the 52-6 Blowout
Saturday, November 9. Game day.
If you’ve never been to the Berger Family Lawn during Wave Weekend, it’s hard to describe. It's a sea of blue and green. There were literal "glitter stations" where students (and a surprising number of dads) were getting blue and green sparkles applied to their faces.
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- The Merch: A student-run business called Traylor Trash was everywhere. They make these custom trucker hats with puns. You'd see a 50-year-old CEO wearing a hat with a "Roll Wave" pun while holding a plastic cup of local beer.
- The Tailgate: The "Tailgate Village" had everything—from the School of Liberal Arts tent to Greek life spreads.
- The Swag: People were walking around with foam football helmets and commemorative beads. You can't have a New Orleans party without beads. It’s the law.
The actual game at Yulman Stadium was a victory lap. Tulane racked up 589 yards of offense. Makhi Hughes was a machine, running for 153 yards and two touchdowns. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the stadium was just a massive party because the outcome was already decided. During halftime, they crowned the Homecoming royalty, Makenzie Sanders and Kaia Todd. They didn't just get crowns; they got these crazy silver scepters embedded with blue and green jewels. Very New Orleans.
Where Everyone Actually Ate
Let's talk about the real MVP of Tulane Parents Weekend 2024: the food. If you didn't have a reservation six weeks in advance, you were basically eating granola bars in the dorm.
The hot spots were predictably slammed. Sofia and Osteria Lupo were the big winners for Italian. Families looking for that classic NOLA seafood vibe crowded into Superior Seafood or La Petite Grocery. Honestly, some of the best memories probably happened at the low-key spots like Mid-City Pizza or Juan’s Flying Burrito, where the wait times were slightly more human.
The Logistics of the Wave
The university also used the weekend to show off the new National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) plots. They did a ribbon-cutting on Friday. This is a big deal—it’s a permanent space on campus to honor the historically Black Greek letter organizations. It’s located near the heart of campus and serves as a spot for reflection and gathering.
A Few Surprises
One thing that caught people off guard was the sheer number of reunions happening simultaneously. There were nine different undergraduate classes (years ending in 4 and 9) all trying to find their friends. From the 5th reunion kids who just graduated to the 45th reunion alums who remember a very different Tulane, the campus felt like a time machine.
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The weather actually cooperated, too. Early November in New Orleans can be hit or miss—sometimes it's a swamp, sometimes it's perfect. This weekend was the latter.
Moving Forward: What to Do Next
If you missed out on the 2024 festivities, you're likely looking ahead to future "Wave Weekends." The university usually announces the following year's dates in late spring or early summer once the American Athletic Conference (AAC) releases the football schedule.
Practical steps for future planning:
- Book your hotel the second the dates are announced. Seriously. Places like The Columns or the Hampton Inn on St. Charles fill up a year out.
- Monitor the Tulane Family Newsletter. That’s where the "add-on" tickets for things like The Tipping Point or specific school brunches go on sale first.
- Get the "Wave Weekend" app. They usually release a specific schedule there that includes the 90+ micro-events that aren't on the main website.
- Register early. 2024 had "Early Registrant" pricing that ended in mid-October. Waiting until you get to campus means paying a premium and potentially missing out on name badges and those commemorative beads.
Tulane Parents Weekend 2024 proved that the "New Orleans effect" is real. It turns a standard college visit into something much more visceral. Whether it was the 52-point game or just a quiet coffee at Willa Jean, the weekend was a reminder that being a "Tulanian" is as much about the city as it is about the degree.