With cotton candy in hand and smiles on their faces, father-and-daughter duo Jose and Cassie Mercado were soaking in all Northeastern University had to offer on a perfect fall Saturday afternoon on the Boston campus. 

Cassie had only seen her parents once since the start of the academic year, so the first-year undergraduate student was excited to show them around campus and some of her favorite spots in Boston.

Her parents had traveled five and half hours from their home in New Jersey. Others came from around the world to take part in the university’s Family and Friends Weekend.

The three-day celebration was filled with activities and excursions designed to help students reconnect with their loved ones.

On Saturday, Centennial Common was transformed into a festival grounds, featuring mural paintings, pumpkin decorating, caricature portraits and more. Attendees could also indulge in a number of treats, including candy apples, cotton candy, hot pretzels and popcorn.     

Jose was happy to see his daughter thriving in the new environment, a testament, he says, to Northeastern’s commitment to providing support for first-year Huskies.  

“I think Northeastern does a really nice thing of taking care of the students by providing them with a really good environment to adjust from high school to college,” he said.

Later on Saturday, Cassie and her family took part in the family fun dodgeball game, and at night cheered on the Northeastern men’s hockey team in its 5-2 victory over Bentley University at Matthews Arena. 

Before the game many families watched the inspirational movie “Rudy,” which included an appearance by the lead actor, Sean Astin, best known for his roles in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Saturday’s lineup also included a performance by the Brown brothers, an impressionist duo and semifinalists from Season 17 of America’s Got Talent.

Dan Grusso, a first-year student, was enjoying the weekend with his parents, Robert and Maria. The mechanical engineering major was planning to show his parents the new EXP research complex. 

“We were here last month, but it was pouring rain, so we’d like him to take us there,” Maria said.

Nearly all of Maya Parius’ family made the trip from her hometown of Cleveland to participate in Family and Friends Weekend. The group included her mom, dad and two younger siblings, Annalise, 15, and Rowen, 13. 

It was the first time Maya had seen her family since moving to Boston in August. She planned to show her siblings her dorm room and give them a glimpse of what college life is like. 

A native of Leicester, a small town in Central Massachusetts, Danielle Birchett said city living took some time to adjust to, but in the five weeks since the semester started, she now feels much more comfortable.  

On Saturday, the first-year student was painting with her father, Ishan, at a table on Centennial Common. As they filled the canvas with various shades of orange, red and brown, the pair discussed their plans for the weekend. 

The duo planned to take part in a few of the off-campus excursions being offered, including a tour of Fenway Park and a visit to the New England Aquarium. Other families toured the Museum of Fine Arts, took in a performance by the Boston Ballet, or looked down on campus from View Boston atop the nearby Prudential Center.

Weekend highlights also included conversations with faculty and staff, a twilight tour of Northeastern arboretum, music from the university’s a cappella singers, family trivia and a Halloween-themed party.

“I’m also really interested in volleyball, so we’ll also plan on going to the volleyball match,” Danielle Birchett said.

The intrasquad game included a performance by Northeastern Latin dance team Kaliente. The busy weekend concluded with a soccer match — the annual Pride game — between Northeastern and Towson University at Parsons Field.

While Danielle’s dad visited this weekend, her mom plans to visit campus next week.

Ishan Birchett said he loved how organized the events were because it gave families a chance to catch up in a very relaxed, worry-free environment.

“It gave us a chance to hangout together and find out how she’s acclimating to campus,” Ishan said.

Cesareo Contreras is a Northeastern Global News reporter. Email him at c.contreras@northeastern.edu. Follow him on X/Twitter @cesareo_r and Threads @cesareor.