Homecoming weekend will start this Friday at 9:30 p.m. with the annual fireworks and laser show, followed by a Pitt Program Council-sponsored Monte Carlo Night at the Union.

The evening will begin with fireworks shooting from the Cathedral. The show, a 19-year Pitt tradition, is organized by Zambelli Fireworks and will include lasers and music. The University will shut down Bigelow Boulevard between Forbes and Fifth avenues to accommodate an audience.

Immediately following the show, the Kurtzman Room in the Union will be decorated like the Las Vegas strip, with card and casino games for students and parents to enjoy. At the end of the night, Pitt Program Council will raffle prizes for participants.

Jillian Reilly, the council’s special events coordinator, said she has high hopes for this weekend.

“This year, we are making the fireworks and laser show bigger and better than ever,” she said.

Activities on Saturday will start three hours before kickoff the Homecoming football game against South Florida at Heinz Field. The University announced that the World’s Largest Block Party, a Chicago-based festival that travels to various cities, will take over Art Rooney Avenue between Gates A and B, featuring live entertainment, food and activities, including a giant video wall and inflatable games for kids.

Two hours before the game starts, the Pitt Panther Prowl is sponsoring a meet-and-greet with Pitt football players as they arrive outside of Gate A. Then, the Pitt marching band will take the field for the pregame concert. It will lead the March to Victory Parade, which will follow General Robinson Street and end at Art Rooney Avenue. The Homecoming court will also march in the parade, with the new king and queen being crowned at halftime.

Other activities on campus include the Pitt Repertory Theatre’s performances of “Count Dracula” and the celebration of the African American Alumni Council’s 40th anniversary. Various graduate schools, including the School of Law and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, will hold its own alumni events.

Some members of the Oakland community have been preparing for the Homecoming festivities by decorating storefronts along Forbes Avenue.

Pitt has been painting trees and bushes blue.

Charles Turbanic, Pitt’s facilities management assistant vice chancellor of operations and maintenance, said the paint is not cruel to the plants.

“It is non-toxic and specifically made for this type of use … It is latex-based paint that will, after a few wet days, disappear,” he said.

Estelle Tran contributed to this report.