The Big One Fencing Tournament
8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Indoor Track & Tennis Facility
“The Big One” is the largest intercollegiate fencing event in New England and draws hundreds of fencers from across New England every year. Smith is lucky to be the annual host of this event, and plenty of Smith fencers will be competing. Stop by to watch and show your support for the team! The team will also be selling small homegrown plants and T-shirts from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to raise money for tournament travel and registration fees.
President’s Welcome
9–9:30 a.m.
Campus Center Carroll Room
Join Smith College President Sarah Willie-LeBreton to hear about what is going on at Smith and what she is excited about in the coming year.
President’s Welcome Reception
9:30–10 a.m.
Campus Center, Wilson Atrium
Stop by as you make your way out of the President’s Welcome address for light refreshments.
Future Fest
9–11 a.m.
Conway Center, Neilson Library 103
The Conway Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center is excited for the Smith community to visit our open house. Enjoy a warm beverage and tasty treats as you take in the exciting opportunities we offer students! Be the first to experience our trailblazing financial literacy program: Fund Your Future. Hear how students are drawing on their coursework to question what exists today and using their imagination to explore what could be tomorrow: 2026 Co-Innovate for Change Challenge. And participate in a special writing activity for students and alums that celebrates our shared history, reflects our current moment, and imagines our collective futures. Conway Center interns, fellows, and staff stand ready to welcome you.
Family Weekend Hospitality Suite
9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Campus Center 103/104
Join us for morning refreshments, receive information about the schedule and see a list of open classes, and find out about the weekend, Smith, and the local area.
Mill River Walk With the Outdoor Adventure Program
10–11:30 a.m.
Leaving from the Paradise Pond Boat House
Join us for a pleasant hike along the trails surrounding campus. Preregistration is not required. Meet at the boathouse. Sponsored by Smith College Athletics’ Outdoor Adventure Program.
All the Geothermal You Cannot See
10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Davis Meadow
Celebrate the campuswide geothermal energy project and completion of the final borehole in this campus-wide sustainable energy project. Get your questions answered, pick up some geothermal swag, and enjoy food trucks, too!
Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, & Sustainability (CEEDS) Annual Apple Cider Pressing
10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Davis Meadow
Experience a family-friendly and tasty New England tradition! Help us press fresh, locally grown apples into cider and then enjoy a cup with a Hadley-made cider doughnut. We’ll also have heirloom apple tasting to help provide a sense of the amazing diversity and history of this fascinating fruit. And did we mention we’ll have food trucks? Stop by and get some lunch from Crazy Arepas, Thai Chili or Holyoke Hummus!
Harvest of Hope: Local Food Access Fundraiser
10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Campus Center Main Level
Come and enjoy some homemade fall treats and trinkets and send your student a fall-themed care package from the Community Service Organization and the Food Rescue Network. All proceeds support reducing food waste at Smith and feeding the Northampton community!
ParKit: Pedaling Parks to People
10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Davis Meadow
The ParKit—a park-making kit—makes small temporary parks mobile. Designed by Smith College Landscape Studies students to be ridden around a city and quickly assembled, a bike pulls a trailer holding the necessary components for constructing a “parklet,” making previously unused spaces more inviting. Mobile in nature, our vision is to reach out to communities who are less likely to have the time, resources or political leverage to engage in community design. ParKit team members design and manufacture parts for the park in the many Smith College spaces for making. They learn about design, materials, and prototyping by creating and re-creating components for the ParKit. Stop by and see what we’ve made.
Planting Bulbs in Capen Garden
10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Capen Garden, Conway Gazebo
Drop by to help with this annual Smith tradition, planting upward of 2,000 tulips in the beds surrounding the Jill Ker Conway Gazebo in Capen Garden.
Tools, gloves, cider, and doughnuts will be on hand!
Building Futures: A Discussion With the Wurtele Center for Leadership and the Lazarus Center for Career Development
11 a.m.–noon
Kathleen McCartney Hall Workshop Room
Join Wurtele Center Director Erin Cohn ’00 and Lazarus Center Dean of Career Development Faith McClellan for a conversation about how we work with Smith students to explore their leadership and craft a sense of purpose for their work and future endeavors. As the Wurtele and Lazarus centers have just co-located in Kathleen McCartney Hall, this is an opportune moment for us to engage in broad community dialogue about what it means to live and lead well, and what capacities students need to build for the rapidly changing future of work.
OSE Fall Fest
11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Chapin lawn (rain location: Campus Center, Garden Level)
Celebrate Family Weekend with fall fun at the Office of Student Engagement’s Fall Fest! Enjoy creative fun with a caricature artist capturing your family’s silly side, face painting, and pumpkin painting. It’s the perfect way to make memories, share laughs, and soak up the fall spirit together!
Rugby: Smith vs. Yale
11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Lower Athletic (Equestrian) Fields
Smith Rugby will play Yale Rugby as one of the last regular season games for this fall season. Previous knowledge of rugby is not required to enjoy this exciting and growing sport. Please come out and support Smith!
Design Thinking Initiative is 10!
11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Capen Annex & Davis Meadow
The Design Thinking Initiative (DTI) is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025–26. Join us for a birthday party! We’re celebrating from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with creative activities including a workshop led by Laura Lilienkamp ’18 (former prototyping studio manager) to turn upcycled feed bags into custom reusable totes. Plus, you can help us to build a collective timeline and imagine the future of DTI. Then, at 1 p.m., we’ll cut cake and raise a toast while sharing stories of DTI.
Official Smith Ring Sales
11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Campus Center, Main Level, Table 1
The Smith ring, designed by students, is a symbol of the continuous link with classmates, friends, and the college. The ring also evokes special and shared memories of Smith days. Sponsored by Smith’s Alumnae Association, the ring is reserved exclusively for sophomores, juniors, seniors, and Ada Comstock Scholars in good standing. The design remains unchanged—a tangible connection to the past and the future.
Ada Bake Sale
11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Campus Center Steps
The Ada Comstock Scholars Program offers a path for students of nontraditional age to complete a bachelor of arts degree at Smith College. The Ada cabinet and Ada coordinator are fundraising to support anniversary celebrations, upcoming events, and merchandise for the class. Drop by for a sweet treat and to learn more about how this innovative program supports non-traditional-age students. Cash is preferred, but Venmo will also be accepted.
Class of 2028 Photoshoot
noon–2 p.m.
Grécourt Gate (in front of College Hall)
Celebrate declaring your major by getting your “I Declared!’ photo taken at the Grécourt Gates. Bring your friends and family and enjoy a treat with the class of 2028.
BSA Soul Food Lunch Box
noon–3 p.m.
Davis Ballroom
The Black Students’ Alliance (BSA) is excited to invite students and their families to our annual Soul Food Lunch Box! Come experience the warmth of the BSA as we laugh, bond, and celebrate the unique flavors and unity that make our community special. We have exciting games planned to spark some friendly competition and add to the fun! To help us prepare for your arrival, please have students RSVP for their families using the form provided in the BSA newsletter from October 4 to October 7. Feel free to reach out with any questions at bsa@smith.edu. While everyone in the Smith community is welcome, this event is intended for Black students and their families.
Volleyball: Smith vs. Worcester State University
1 p.m.
Ainsworth Gymnasium
Smith volleyball faces off against Worcester State in their first match of the day.
Art-Making with the Smith Office for the Arts
1–3 p.m.
Hillyer Hall atrium
Join the Smith Office for the Arts (SOFA) in some art-making of your own. Activities will include decorating a SmithArts pencil pouch or tote bag, button-making, and zine-making. Open to all while supplies last.
Global Medical Brigades Family Weekend Fundraiser
1–3 p.m.
Chapin lawn
The Smith College chapter of Global Medical Brigades invites you to a fall carnival-themed fundraiser featuring games and treats.
Tours of the Smith Science Fiction & Fantasy Society Library
1–4 p.m.
SSFFS Library, King House basement
A repository for contemporary and classic science fiction and fantasy novels, comics, and magazines, SSFFS Library has highlighted female and queer stories within these traditionally male-dominated genres since 1987. Come join us for a tour of our library and discover the secret history of nerds at Smith! Tickets will be sold at the door.
Home, House, History (& Halloween) in Smith Special Collections
1–4:45 p.m.
Neilson Library 306 (Special Collections Reading Room)
The Special Collections reading room on the third floor of Neilson Library will be open for “Home, House, History (& Halloween)” featuring materials about Smith house histories from the College Archives. Stop by and learn about the women for whom Granville, Haynes, King, Lee, and Rothman Houses are named and then pick up some complimentary postcards of Smithies in action through the years.
Yearbook Sales and Fundraising
2–3 p.m.
Campus Center, Main Level, Table 3A
Support the Madeleine yearbook and take home a piece of your Smith history by purchasing past yearbooks! We invite families to look through recent yearbooks and purchase previous editions to take home. We will answer questions about the 2026 yearbook and how seniors can receive their free copy.
LASO Family Weekend
2–4 p.m.
Campus Center 204 and 205
Join the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) in celebrating Family Weekend. We will have fun games like lotería and dominoes, and the winners will receive a small prize. We will also play our favorite Latin hits and provide food and drinks for the first 40 people. Come spend quality time with LASO and learn how we support Latine/x Smithies throughout the year.
“Come Home to Smith” with President Sarah Willie-LeBreton
3–4 p.m.
Sage Hall, Sweeney Auditorium
In celebration of Smith’s 150th anniversary, alums and families are invited to join President Sarah Willie‑LeBreton for a special program about Smith on its sesquicentennial. With special performances by Moonlight Classical Chinese Dance and Blackappella!
Montage: The Elements
4–6 p.m.
John M. Greene Hall
The Smith College Department of Music presents Montage: The Elements for Family Weekend. Explore themes of air, fire, earth, and water from different genres with performances by the Glee Club, Chamber Singers, Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, the Wailing Banshees, Jazz Ensemble, the Handbell Choir, and student a cappella groups.
Volleyball: Smith vs. Curry College
5 p.m.
Ainsworth Gymnasium
Smith volleyball takes on Curry College in their final match of the day.
Smith College Bell Ringers
5–6 p.m.
Mendenhall Center Bell Tower
Students, family members, and alumnae are welcome to stop by the Mendenhall Bell Tower for an open house. Try your hand at chiming the bells and learn more about this unique piece of Smith’s living history! Enter the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts at the Berenson Studio across from Sage Hall, or follow the signs from the Green Street entrance to Mendenhall. Access to the ringing chamber requires climbing a short ladder.
Smith African and Caribbean Student’s Association (SACSA) Second Annual Culture Show
6–9 p.m.
Davis Ballroom
Come celebrate Haiti with the Smith African and Caribbean Student Association! We will host a Kompa workshop and then transition to a banquet style dinner at 6:45 p.m. The event is open to families, students, staff, faculty, and the wider 5 College community.
The event is a fundraiser and 35% of our proceeds will be donated to the Haitian Community Partners Foundation. Entry to the workshop is $2 and entry for the dinner is $6. Please
RSVP via this Google form to ensure adequate seating.
Smith Theatre Fall Production: Eurydice
7:30–9:30 p.m.
Mendenhall Center, Hallie Flanagan Theatre
Written by Sarah Ruhl; Directed by Tara Franklin
In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story. Tickets available at SmithArts.Ludus.com. Free for Smith students by emailing boxoffice@smith.edu.
Smith 2 Do: Canvas Bags
9–11 p.m.
Campus Center 203
Join us for a fun and creative activity! Whether you’re a student looking for a stylish way to carry your things to class, or a parent wanting a personalized keepsake from the weekend, this is the perfect hands-on event for all ages.
