Your Guide to UW Family Weekend

Smiling families with UW gear and balloons

UW Family Weekend is Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6–7, and here is the most important thing to know: you do not have to do everything.

With campus tours, academic open houses, museums, recreation, performances, a tailgate and Husky football all sharing one weekend, the schedule can feel like a lot. The best UW Family Weekend is not the one with the most events. It is the one that gives you time to see your student’s UW life, meet some of the people and places that matter to them, and enjoy being together. Whether you are a parent, stepparent, grandparent, sibling, auntie or uncle, mentor or chosen family, this guide is for you!

Tickets Full schedule Travel Hotels Dining FAQ

Tickets 101

UW Family Weekend takes place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6–7, 2026. General admission is $35 for guests ages 13 and older. Current UW students and children ages 3–12 attend free, but everyone must reserve a ticket in advance, even if the ticket is free. Each person will need a ticket to receive a UW Family Weekend badge at check-in and participate in official UW Family Weekend activities.

The UW Family Tailgate and the Washington vs. Penn State football game require separate tickets. Neither general admission nor a tailgate ticket includes admission to the game.

Discounted football tickets

Your UW Family Weekend Roadmap

First stop: the HUB Lyceum

STEP 1

Start at the Family Weekend Check-In Lounge: Friday, Nov. 6, 9 a.m.–6 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Pick up your UW Family Weekend badge, your entrance pass for sponsored activities, plus any tailgate or “Phèdre” wristbands. Staff are on hand to help with schedules, directions, and questions.

View check-in details

Build Friday around your Husky

STEP 2

Friday is the fullest day, with open houses, tours, talks, and drop-in activities across campus. Ask your student to pick one place that tells part of their UW story, like their program, a favorite library, or their route to class.

Add one or two events that fit your interests, and leave time to walk and be together.

Explore Friday events

Pick a plan for your Husky’s year

STEP 3

Not sure where to start? We put together one plan for each class year, from first-year to senior, built from the full schedule. Each has a Friday and a Saturday.

Let your Husky lead, and swap in anything from the schedule.

See the plans

Don’t forget lunchtime!

STEP 4

UW Family Weekend is a chance to taste your student’s everyday UW, so let them choose the spot.

Local Point, Center Table, and several District Market and Husky Grind locations are open all weekend. Many HUB cafés close Saturday and Sunday, so check dining hours first. Or let your student show you their favorite U District spot.

Explore dining options

Saturday: tailgate and Husky football

STEP 5

Start with a School of Music open house, a McCarty Innovation & Learning Lab tour, or, if your Husky lives on campus, a pancake breakfast with Housing & Food Services.

The UW Family Tailgate runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon, before the Washington vs. Penn State game kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Football tickets are sold separately; buy your student’s ticket in your section to sit together.

Explore Saturday events

Travel Tips for Families

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is about 45 minutes from campus by Link light rail. Driving takes about 30 minutes in light traffic and up to an hour when traffic is heavy.

Alaska Airlines is offering a 7% discount on published fares to Seattle or Everett for travel Nov. 4–11, with no blackout dates. The discount code and eligibility details are on the UW Family Weekend travel page.

UW Family Weekend happens rain or shine. Bring a waterproof layer, comfortable walking shoes and something warm enough for an outdoor tailgate or evening game.

Umbrellas work, but a hooded rain jacket is often easier on a busy campus. You will also want a portable phone charger: schedules, tickets, maps, family photos and texts from your student all tend to land on the same device.

Official UW Family Weekend programming centers on Friday and Saturday. Sunday is intentionally open for a slower campus visit, time in Seattle or the trip home. The IMA (9 a.m.–8:30 p.m.) and Crags Climbing Center (1–5 p.m.) have Sunday hours for guests 16 and older with a UW Family Weekend badge and photo ID. At the Crags, climb with your student.

You might also let your student sleep in, meet for brunch and take one last walk together. UW Family Weekend does not need a grand finale.

Talk with your Husky before you arrive

Three easy texts to send now:

“Which one place on campus do you most want us to see?”

“What part of Friday or Saturday would you like to plan, and what should we plan?”

“Do you want the weekend packed with activities, or should we leave plenty of downtime?”

Questions? Email uwfw@uw.edu. A real person on the UW Family Weekend planning team reads every message.