![\"Faculty](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1024x768_IMGEMSmith.jpg\" "\\"FAMU")
Be Out Day is not just for students, faculty, staff and even community members join\n in on the activities. (Photo by Glenn Beil\/FAMU)<\/p>\n
Be Out Day is Not Only a Tradition, but a Feeling That Follows FAMU Wherever It Goes<\/p>\n
At Florida A&M University, \u201cBe Out Day\u201d does not just show up, it shows out.<\/p>\n
With music artists Bunna B and Fly Boi Keno set to headline this year\u2019s celebration, FAMU\u2019s most cherished mid-semester tradition
\n is once again the place everyone will want to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very excited about Be Out Day this year,\u201d said Student Government Association President Zayla Bryant. \u201cI\u2019ve been working diligently with the Student ‘Be Out Day’ Committee alongside
\n faculty, administration, trustees, and donors to bring to life an experience that
\n will be an everlasting memory for the spring semester. Let the good times roll!\u201d<\/p>\n
During the spring, there\u2019s a certain kind of energy that only shows up on The Hill.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not loud and fast like Homecoming. It\u2019s not as formal as Commencement. It’s\u00a0something
\n in between.<\/p>\n
Be Out Day\u00a0is where sunlight hits face, music connects with ears, plates full of food
\n are balanced in hands, and people are fully present.<\/p>\n
And if you ask anyone who knows its roots, they\u2019ll tell you that it didn\u2019t start as
\n a spectacle. It started as something simple and unassuming.<\/p>\n
Be Out Day is not just for students, faculty, staff and even community members join
\n in on the activities. (Photo by Glenn Beil\/FAMU)<\/p>\n
A Legacy Born on the Grill<\/p>\n
Before it became the high-energy, campus-wide celebration students know today, Be
\n Out Day was known as \u201cFun Day,\u201d an intimate, joy-filled gathering led by the late
\n Colonel Bernard Hendricks, then director of student activities in the late 1980s and
\n early 1990s.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was almost like his personal barbecue,\u201d Marvin Greene, major gift officer (Athletics\/Marching 100) in the Division of University Advancement recalled, reflecting on Hendricks, the beloved student activities director who created
\n the original gathering. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t catering anything. He literally cooked the ribs,
\n the baked beans\u2026 that was him.\u201d<\/p>\n
What began as a personal, campus-centered barbecue on the intramural fields where
\n the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center now stands, evolved into something bigger after
\n Hendricks\u2019 passing. In 1992, under Student Government Association President Rod Stovall,
\n Vice President Isaac Green and Senator Cedric Mobley, the event was reimagined and
\n renamed \u201cBe Out Day,\u201d borrowing a phrase popularized in Greek-life culture at the
\n time.<\/p>\n
From there, the tradition took flight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt went from \u2018Fun Day\u2019 to \u2018Be Out Day\u2019,\u201d Greene said. \u201cIt created a life of its own.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Student](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1024x768_BeScreaming.jpg\" "\\"Be")
During Be Out Day, students are treated to concerts with their favorite music artists.
\n (Photo by Glenn Beil\/FAMU)<\/p>\n
That life continues to evolve, especially behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
For Christian Aristilde, chief operating officer of Winners Circle, who helped secure this year\u2019s talent, the event is about crafting experiences that
\n stay with people long after the music fades.<\/p>\n
\u201cBe Out Day is personal for me because I understand what it means to create moments
\n that people actually remember,\u201d Aristilde said. \u201cIt\u2019s not simply about putting artists
\n on a stage, it\u2019s about the experience and how it brings people together.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s lineup reflects that motivation.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Winners Circle, everything we do is intentional. We\u2019re here to create experiences
\n that last beyond the event itself, and I hope the students will enjoy and remember
\n this year\u2019s Be Out Day for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Vendors](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1024x768_IMGEBeOutDay.jpg\" "\\"FAMU")
Licensed vendors sell FAMU merch at Be Out Day. (Photo by Glenn Beil\/FAMU)<\/p>\n
A Mid-Semester Exhale<\/p>\n
Today, Be Out Day remains what students simply call a \u201cvibe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Concerts were added. Crowds grew. What was once a cookout became FAMU\u2019s unofficial
\n \u201clast exhale\u201d before finals season begins.<\/p>\n
For Bryan Smith, associate vice president for Student Affairs and adviser to the Student
\n Government Association, it\u2019s about giving students something they\u2019ve earned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistorically, it\u2019s centered around a midterm opportunity to relax and hang out,\u201d
\n Smith said. \u201cTo decompress after working hard\u2026 to be celebrated and rewarded.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that celebration shows up in camaraderie, community, and a campus-wide invitation
\n to pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very festive. It\u2019s an all-around good time,\u201d he added. \u201cYou get to let your
\n hair down, play games, laugh, talk, and just vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Held just before the final academic stretch, Be Out Day\u00a0gives students one last collective
\n exhale before the sprint to finals and graduation.<\/p>\n
![\"Student](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1024x768_lemonade.jpg\" "\\"Be")
Students wait in line for a cold, refreshing lemonade at Be Out Day. (Photo by Glenn
\n Beil\/FAMU)<\/p>\n
Evolving, But Never Losing Its Heart<\/p>\n
While the format has changed over the years, the spirit has not.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they\u2019ve kept the integrity of what used to be,\u201d Greene said. \u201cIt\u2019s still
\n that time where you get to relax before that last month of the semester.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the food still matters.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the food,\u201d Smith laughed. \u201cWe\u2019ve got vendors from all over. There\u2019s seafood,
\n barbecue, icy trucks. It\u2019s just a great time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the years, \u201cBe Out Day\u201d has even attracted notable performers, including FAMU
\n alumna K. Michelle and artist Jacquees, who once rerouted his tour to make a stop
\n in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n
Each year builds on the last, adding new layers to a campus staple. Perhaps the clearest
\n sign of Be Out Day\u2019s impact is how far it has traveled.<\/p>\n
What began on FAMU\u2019s campus now lives in cities across the country: Atlanta, Dallas,
\n Miami, Houston and more. Alumni recreate the experience as a way to stay connected.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat really speaks to how influential that time was,\u201d Greene said. \u201cBecause now alumni
\n groups are doing Be Out Day in their own cities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Be Out Day isn\u2019t just about stepping outside.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s about stepping into a moment that reminds every Rattler, past and present, what
\n it feels like to belong on \u201cThe Hill\u201d.<\/p>\n
And long after the music fades and the tents come down, that feeling will linger until
\n spring returns.<\/p>\n
Media Contact:<\/p>\n
Rachel James-Terry
Senior Director of Strategic Communications
rachel.jamesterry@famu.edu<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n