GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina A&T State University’s 100th homecoming is on track to be a $57 million week for Greensboro businesses, according to a projection from an economics professor at the university.
More than 200,000 people are expected in town for the centennial edition of the celebration Aggies call the Greatest Homecoming on Earth. That crowd equals more than two-thirds of the city’s own population.
The projected impact is roughly $20 million higher than the estimate for the 2024 celebration. Restaurants, hotels and shops should see the biggest lift, with event businesses and transportation close behind.
Hotels show the squeeze most clearly. Greensboro rooms usually run about half full, but occupancy is expected to hit 100% during homecoming week. Many properties are sold out, pushing some visitors to book in Winston-Salem and Burlington, which spreads the spending across the Triad. State and local tax collections also get a bump.
The professor compared the week to a rising tide that lifts every boat, with businesses across the city seeing a noticeable jump in their bottom lines while the crowds are in town.
Small local shops plan for the week all year. One Greensboro vintage market has run a homecoming pop-up for more than five years, and its vendor applications roughly double this time of year. Among local merchants, the word is that A&T’s homecoming has become the place to be.
A&T is one of five four-year colleges and universities in the city, and with UNC Greensboro and Cone Health it forms a core part of the local economy, so a week like this one touches nearly every corner of town.
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