By Lena LaJoy

At the end of Homecoming weekend, multiple games, inflatables and food could be found set up at McKeldin Mall for the annual Terp Carnival.

Since 2010, the Adele H. Stamp Student Union has hosted the Terp Carnival to cultivate school spirit and provide an opportunity for students to have fun amid exams. Terp Carnival offered assorted giveaway items, including food, accessories and electronics for the students who attended. 

Laura Hood, manager of Stamp Programs, said one special item presented at this year’s Terp Carnival is the Homecoming Limited Edition ice cream flavor. The flavor features vanilla ice cream, crushed vanilla creme sandwich cookies, a caramel swirl and rainbow sprinkles. 800 scoops of the flavor were given away to those in attendance, according to the overview.  

Hood said she thinks the most anticipated event was the scarf giveaway. 

“The big coveted item on Friday is that Homecoming scarf; people line up for hours in order to get it,” Hood said. 

At 3 p.m., those in attendance could wait in line for the special Homecoming scarf, according to the overview. 

Hood also said at around 5 p.m., a special giveaway started where money, an iPad, AirPods and other items were given to attendees. Later on, Maryland football head coach Michael Locksley and some players on the Maryland football team appeared to promote the Homecoming game on Saturday against Indiana, Hood said. 

The Terp Carnival featured various activities for people with different interests. Hood said she thinks there is something for everyone. 

“If football is not your jam, there’s other sports that are playing throughout the week that we try to promote, and … we have craft events,” Hood said. 

Sienna Rader-Gowda, a sophomore computer science major, said the Terp Carnival is a great way for students to come together to celebrate their school in a fun way. 

“Having a big gathering like Terp Carnival, celebrating your school, can make everybody really happy to be going here,” Rader-Gowda said.

Hood said the plans for the Terp Carnival began immediately after Maryland Day in May. To prepare, she worked with a two-person committee, campus organizations, the Marketing and Communications Office and the Alumni Association. 

Marsha Guenzler-Stevens, director of the Stamp Student Union, recalled a parade from nearly a decade ago, which celebrated Homecoming weekend before Terp Carnival was established. 

Guenzler-Stevens said the parade featured different floats for students to build and tour. The parade became less popular with the audience and businesses, which resulted in the parade team picking a new form of celebration, resulting in the first Terp Carnival. 

“Part of it was to think a little bit about how to celebrate collectively, also invite alumni and community members to join us,” Guenzler-Stevens said. 

Hood said one potential obstacle the Terp Carnival faces this year is alterations in the current agenda due to bad weather. While the weather was projected to be sunny on the day of the event, there was a chance of intense wind, Hood said.

“The inflatables might not be inflatables, it may be more like airbrush hats or T-shirt making … and then the other piece is fireworks can’t go off if it’s over 36 miles per hour,” Hood said. 

Hood said she believes the Terp Carnival is a place where students, staff and alumni can gather and celebrate UMD without worrying about outside stressors.

“People just want to feel connected to their university, and I think this is one of those events,” Hood said.

Featured Image: View of the University of Maryland’s sundial on McKeldin Mall on Oct. 1, 2025. Photo by Monique James.