Homecoming without a theme is like food without flavor. The theme allows the students to feel like they are a part of a limited-time event. 

This year’s theme is based on the 2017 movie “The Greatest Showman.” The movie is about P.T. Barnum and his rise to fame with the Barnum and Bailey Circus, which was famous for showing “oddities” (people/things he made seem more eccentric to make money). Unfortunately, the real Barnum was not a good person, but for a hoco theme, it is pretty good. 

The music is great, and the song “Rewrite the Stars” is a great couple’s song. If people want to dress the theme, it is pretty easy: frills, stripes, red, canes, etc. 

This year’s hoco theme also easily lends itself to creative and engaging decorations, with reds and heavy fog lamps, mason jars with hands, and other oddities. It probably won’t be that detailed, but there are a lot of options. This would be a really good place to have a photo stand with circus-related items. 

A possible criticism of the theme could be that if the school wanted to make a circus theme, then they could have just made the theme ‘circus,’ but by specifying a movie, it narrows down what the vibe is. Circus can be old-fashioned and almost gothic to bright big clown shoes. “The Greatest Showman” falls into the old-timey category as it takes place in the 1800s. I worry that they might forget about that difference and go for the bright version. 

Other songs that might go well with this theme are  “Fairytale” by Alexander Rybak and “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. It would not be a good idea for them to play that stupid circus song, “Entrance of the Gladiators”. It’s that song that goes “do do do du du do du do do”. It is just so corny and silly. 

However, they should remember that the music pays attention to “The Greatest Showman’s” clear, pop-inspired soundtrack. Of course, that won’t happen, all homecoming playlists are the same twenty songs, plus whatever source material they’re based on.