Today marks the first day of Trojan Family Weekend where parents celebrate four days of festivities and get a firsthand look at USC student life.
An agenda of activities includes university tours and professor lectures from the School of Dramatic Arts, School of Pharmacy, Viterbi School of Engineering, Marshall School of Business, Keck School of Medicine, and Cinematic Arts School.
The Thornton School of Music will also be performing concerts for family entertainment. These events will be available from Thursday through Sunday for all parents and families to attend.
Restaurants at the Village are prepping for family weekend by setting up booths and providing food samples for families on Thursday afternoon.
Michelle Lee, the owner of Honeybird, a fried chicken restaurant in the Village, says her main focus is to prepare fried chicken and honey biscuits for incoming parents and grandparents to get "a taste of what Honeybird is like."
USC restaurants and retail stores are expecting to see an increase in foot traffic of hungry families. Even stores that haven't opened in the village are preparing for the weekend.
Although Rock & Reilly's, an Irish pub and eatery, plans to open next week, director of Sales and Marketing Jamie Schneider said she is excited to meet the student and parent community.
For some parents, this will be their first time on USC campus and in the Village.
"[The campus] is completely gorgeous. I would say it's top shelf. [I am] kind of having a hard time taking it in," said Deanna Blankenship, grandmother of a freshman studying Film Production.
"We're really excited to be here. We definitely felt welcomed by everyone in the Trojan family [and] at welcoming parties in Texas," said USC mother Dana Blankenship about her family's experience coming from their home state of Texas for parents' weekend.
As for the Village, Deanna said, "It's endless and incredible. I've never seen anything like this."
Apart from events happening at the Village, Alumni Park is another space on campus hosting celebrations for parents weekend.
Adam Rosen, the Assistant Vice President of Cultural Relations and University Events, organized a welcome lounge complete with refreshments, music, and shaded areas to cool off.
Parents can check in and socialize with other families on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"People are here for you, you can ask for things," said USC alumna Lori Stokes.
Stokes is part of a triple legacy Trojan family. Her father studied Civil Engineering at USC, she studied aerospace engineering, and her son is a freshman studying electrical engineering. She even met her husband at USC.
Trojan Family Weekend activities will culminate with the football game against the University of Colorado Boulder Buffaloes at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018.
The agenda of activities can be found here.