Special Olympics Pennsylvania Fall Festival Returns to Villanova University for 37th Consecutive Year

VILLANOVA, Pa. (October 13, 2025)-Villanova University will host Special Olympics Pennsylvania's (SOPA) annual Fall Festival-the largest student-run Special Olympics event in the world-from November 7-9, marking the 37^th consecutive year Fall Festival has been held at the University.

More than 1,100 athletes will participate in the three-day event, alongside 400 coaches, 1,100 volunteers from Villanova's Inclusion Crew, a record 300 Local Program Hosts and 2,500 general volunteers, all representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Fall Festival is led by Villanova's Special Olympics Committee, which consists of more than 100 student members, and is assisted by SOPA. This year's Fall Festival theme, "Let your passions unleash, create your masterpiece!" places an emphasis on artistic expression, encouraging athletes to celebrate their accomplishments during the competition and beyond as their own unique and individual masterpieces. Various forms of art-including music, dance, photography, painting and sculpture-will be present throughout the weekend, highlighted by a newly launched experience at the Connelly Center Cinema, showcasing the history of Fall Festival and spirit of Special Olympics at Villanova.

"Fall Festival is a wonderfully unifying event that represents the incredible strength of the human spirit and our collective fight for dignity, and we are beyond grateful to continue to serve as its annual host," said Steve Koch, associate director for leadership programs in the Office of Student Involvement. "Through the collective effort of Villanova's students, SOPA and all of the volunteers, Fall Festival's emphasis on encouragement, empowerment, cheers, triumph and expression turns the weekend into a beautiful microcosm of the world as it could be."

The three-day event will feature competitions in bocce, flag football, long-distance running/walking, powerlifting, soccer and volleyball. Competitions for each sport, with the exception of powerlifting, begin between 1-1:30 p.m. on Friday, November 7, and continue through Sunday, November 9. Powerlifting begins at 2 p.m. on Friday and concludes Saturday afternoon. Following award presentations on Sunday, dual closing ceremonies will be held at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., with food and final remarks.