By Julian Menendez | Staff Writer
On Thursday, Nov. 13, the GC Lawns and Fountains were lit up with lights, laughter, and music as FIU students celebrated Uncaging, the university’s high-energy spirit event leading up to the Homecoming game. The free event offered food trucks, carnival rides and attractions, games, music, and performances from FIU’s marching band and cheerleaders.
Students lined up for pizza, tacos, and cotton candy, while others wandered through vendor booths and club tables, reunited with friends, and danced to music echoing from the main stage. FIU cheerleaders, DJs, and Roary kept the momentum going throughout the night.
The FIU marching band circles around GC | Julian Menendez
“The event is good,” said Ngoc Le, an international business major. “I didn’t do a lot, but the food was great. I think [FIU is] doing much better than last year in terms of event expansion – last year had like half of the attractions… they should totally keep it up.”
For many students, Uncaging provides a rare opportunity to connect with peers outside of class, especially for commuters or those juggling school and work.
“It’s fun running into people I usually don’t see,” said Aryelle Forbes, a forensic biomolecular biology major. “I also don’t get to be on campus that often, so it’s fun doing events like this.”
Students also expressed a desire to have more opportunities for involvement.
Forbes added, “If anything, I would love to see more events like it, something that would get a lot of students involved.”
However, not everyone was aware of the event ahead of time.
“I didn’t even know about [Uncaging],” she admitted. “I just came to campus for class and saw the food and crowds. I don’t even follow the FIU Homecoming Instagram. The only thing that mentioned it was a text, but I’m usually too busy to check those.”
Main stage on GC lawn with live DJ | Julian Menendez
Despite this, the overall experience left a positive impression.
“I think it’s great to connect with a lot of FIU students and see everyone on campus,” said Matthew Pinero, an accounting major. “My favorite part was just seeing all the people come together and enjoy everything. I wish there were more food, though.”
As the night came to an end, students lingered under the lights, took photos with friends, and slowly trickled out — some with leftovers in their hands, and others still chatting by the fountains and lawn.
Uncaging remains a staple of FIU’s Homecoming week, and for many students, it’s more than just free food and music — it’s a reminder that campus is not just a place to study, but also a community to celebrate.
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