This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

FSU Homecoming is a week-long celebration you don’t want to miss. From Spirit Night and an exciting parade to the widely anticipated homecoming football game, our campus is buzzing with Seminole pride. To kick off the festivities, FSU presents Homecoming Live, a concert experience featuring student performers, entertaining hosts, and this year’s musical headliner: Mariah the Scientist.

Behind This Year’s Theme

To honor the 77-year tradition, this year’s homecoming theme is “Legacy in Every Frame”. From the black and white photographs on classroom walls to the photos students take today, this theme honors FSU’s rich history. Crisie Dominguez, the homecoming Communications Director, says that their goal was to “showcase FSU in a gold frame,” showing the evolution of campus life throughout generations.

Dominguez also said that this year’s homecoming committee partnered with FSU Libraries to gain access to archived photos to use for social media, a small detail, yet one that encapsulates their dedication to the theme.

Besides the iconic theme, if there’s one word to describe the Homecoming Live experience, it’s “community.” Watching students from both FSU and FAMU come together to celebrate tradition and bond over music and performance shows how connected the Tallahassee community is. Destiny Sistrunk, a sophomore studying criminology at FSU, says that the feeling of “being a part of a huge family” brought her out to the event.

Homecoming Live is a reflection of school spirit that knows no bounds. With over 10 student-led performances and 5,000 seats filled, this concert highlights the appreciation FSU has for its students by giving them a platform to showcase their talents.

Homecoming Performances

The Donald L. Tucker Civic Center was buzzing with excitement even before the concert opened with FSU Cheerleading. From here, the lively energy only got more infectious as students witnessed performances by the acapella groups, the AcaBelles and Reverb, and impressive dances from Next Level Noles, Seoula System, Florida State Golden Girls, The Garnettes, and Level Dance Company.

This year’s charismatic hosts, Hunter Milligan and Nadia Gordon, introduced the 2025 Homecoming Court in fashion, where each couple showed off as they made their way across the stage. When asked what he’s taken from the opportunity to be on this year’s homecoming court, Sadio Fenner responded saying that “a sense of community is something embedded in every one of us on the court.” He’s also looking forward to celebrating FSU in the coming week.

Fenner’s sentiment reflects the student body as each couple garnered cheers and applause from the entire audience. This year’s court represents connection as a driving factor behind FSU’s unbreakable school spirit, highlighting the integral role that the feeling of community has on students.

After introducing the Homecoming Court, the Florida State Golden Girls and the Garnettes took the stage. The energy that had previously calmed while meeting the court came back tenfold with their invigorating dance and majorette performances.

During a brief intermission before the headliner, students enjoyed singing and dancing along to iconic R&B songs in an attempt to get featured on the large central screen. The camera crew spotlighted many people in the crowd, only heightening the anticipation for the next act.

Mariah the Scientist

2025 Homecoming Live was a sold-out affair, and it was obvious in the deafening cheers that erupted at the entrance of R&B and soul artist Mariah the Scientist. Sporting an orange cheetah bodysuit and bedazzled microphone, Mariah was glowing under the spotlight. Much like the headliner, the audience was just as decked out, flaunting miniskirts and tall boots all around the venue.

Mariah’s soulful songs serenaded the Civic Center, with the audience matching every lyric during her hour-long set. She performed songs from her newest album HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY, like “Burning Blue,” and “Is It a Crime,” but also honored her older hits such as “Spread Thin,” and “2 You.”

Mariah was an artist of the people, even taking a request from an audience member to play a song outside of her setlist. Radiating under the energy of the crowd, Mariah’s charm flattered us all. After being complimented by the audience, Mariah smiled cheekily, telling us, “Don’t say that or I’ll be thinking about it all night,” before launching into another song.

Throughout the crowd, students swayed and sang along to Mariah’s love songs. When asked why she wanted to attend the concert, Marissa Mcketty, a marketing student at FSU, said, “for the great energy” that the headliner and FSU homecoming committee bring every year.

Mariah’s set ended in a flutter of confetti and cheers, a magical ending to the first Homecoming event. The crowd lingered in awe of the performance before eventually filing out to the parking lot. They carried the energy outside, immediately reminiscing on the concert as people played Mariah the Scientist songs from their cars as they left the Civic Center.

What’s Next?

Fortunately, Homecoming Live was only the beginning of a week packed with school spirit and tradition. If you missed the concert, be sure to stop by any (or all) of the free events taking place this week, such as the Spirit Night pep rally happening Tuesday, Oct. 28. There’s no better way to get the feel for homecoming than attending the amazing events put on by the homecoming committee!

Homecoming is a beautiful celebration centered around FSU’s rich history and student life. It’s only functional because of the amazing students who work to facilitate every event. Be sure to come out and support the committee’s hard work this week.

Bring your friends and your school spirit, and you’ll be guaranteed a good time.

Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest!