Central Michigan's Homecoming runs THURSDAY 1 TO SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 2026, with the football game against Akron at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday 3 October and a Homecoming parade on the Saturday morning before kickoff. The kickoff time was still TBA when we checked. The lodging position is the same as graduation weekend and just as tight: Mount Pleasant holds 14 bookable properties, Saginaw 16 and Midland 12, so the whole practical ladder is about 45 and none of it is deep. Book the Friday and Saturday, and book early rather than planning a fallback that does not exist.
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Four days, and the same forty-five hotels
CMU Homecoming runs Thursday 1 October to Sunday 4 October 2026.
The anchor is the Saturday: Central Michigan against Akron at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, which is both the homecoming game and CMU’s MAC opener, with the annual Homecoming parade on the Saturday morning beforehand.
The kickoff time was still TBA when we checked. That is normal for a MAC fixture two months out, because television sets the slot closer in, and it is the one detail that would sharpen the booking advice if it landed.
The lodging picture is identical to graduation weekend, and just as unforgiving:
| Where | Drive | Bookable properties |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Pleasant | on campus | 14 |
| Midland, MI | 30 min | 12 |
| Saginaw, MI | 45 min | 16 |
| Alma, MI | 25 min | 3 |
Around forty-five properties across the whole practical ladder, and nothing on it is meaningfully deeper than the campus town. Saginaw, the largest, is forty-five minutes away and holds two more hotels than Mount Pleasant does.
So the instruction is the same as it is for December: book early, because there is no bigger city to retreat to.
Book Friday and Saturday
A Saturday morning parade means being in town the night before. That makes the Friday the clear first booking.
The Saturday night is the one the unset kickoff decides. A midday MAC game and you might drive home; a late-afternoon or evening slot and you will not. Given the size of the market, holding both nights and releasing one once the kickoff is announced is the safer order of operations than waiting and hoping.
What is not established
Central Michigan said its full homecoming celebration schedule would be posted and updated through the summer. When we checked, individual event times beyond the football game were not available, so none are reproduced here. This page carries the dates, the game, the parade and nothing invented around them.
Also not published: the Akron kickoff time, game-day parking and road closures for the parade route, and ticket prices, which CMU sells through its athletics operation.
No named Mount Pleasant property was confirmed sold out for the weekend. The counts are total bookable supply on the date checked, not a sellout claim.
Planning for December instead? CMU graduates on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 December 2026, and the where to stay page covers why the same flat ladder makes booking early the only real strategy.
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Frequently asked questions
When is CMU Homecoming 2026?
Thursday 1 October to Sunday 4 October 2026, per Central Michigan's alumni relations page. The university said its full celebration schedule would be posted and updated through the summer, so individual event times beyond the football game were not available when we checked.
When is the football game?
Saturday 3 October, Central Michigan against Akron at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. It is CMU's MAC opener as well as its homecoming game. The kickoff time was still listed as TBA, which is normal for a MAC fixture at this range since television sets the time closer in.
Is there a parade?
Yes. CMU holds its annual Homecoming parade on the Saturday morning before kickoff. A morning parade plus an afternoon or evening kickoff makes the Saturday a full day whichever way the television slot falls.
Which nights should I book?
Friday and Saturday. With a Saturday morning parade you want to be in town the night before, and with the kickoff unset you cannot yet rule out an evening game that makes the Saturday night necessary too. Booking both and releasing one later is the safer order in a market this size.
How tight is lodging?
Tight, and flat. Mount Pleasant has 14 bookable properties, Saginaw 16 and Midland 12. Nothing nearby is meaningfully deeper than the campus town itself, so there is no larger city waiting to absorb an overflow the way there is at most college towns.
Is homecoming busier than graduation here?
We have not measured both weekends separately. What is clear is that they draw differently: a December commencement brings the families of one graduating cohort into an arena, while homecoming brings alumni across every class plus a stadium crowd, into the same forty-five properties.
How we verified this
Last verified:
- Central Michigan University Alumni Relations, Homecoming ("Thursday, Oct. 1 - Sunday, Oct. 4"; celebration schedule to be posted and updated through the summer)
- Central Michigan University Athletics, 2026 Football Schedule (Homecoming game against Akron at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday 3 October, kickoff TBA; six home games in the 2026 season)
This page is verified in two stages. Every fact is checked against the primary sources listed above, then the page is reviewed and signed off by our editor, A. Hassan. Corrections and enquiries: hello@graduationstay.com