Homecoming Bed Races Return for 13th Year

More than 130 students pushed beds down Sicard Street in the Homecoming Tradition

About 1,000 spectators lined Sicard Street Thursday night at Rutgers University-New Brunswick to cheer on teams of students pushing 34 beds in a 100-yard race that is a beloved signature tradition during homecoming weekend.

After missing a year due to Covid-19 restrictions, the costumed and helmeted competitors were back careening down the track, bouncing their beds off of barricades and sometimes crossing the finish line backward.

The 13th Annual Homecoming Bed Races sponsored by the Rutgers University Programming Association (RUPA) drew 136 students to compete on the College Avenue campus.

All teams donated a minimum of 40 children-sized, washable, cloth masks each to the students of Roosevelt Elementary School in New Brunswick as their entry fee to participate.