Homecoming in Aldie 2026: Your Guide to Lightridge & John Champe Homecoming Week

It’s Homecoming season in Aldie!

If you have a high school student, you already know what that means: spirit week, football, Homecoming proposals, dinner reservations, pictures, dresses, suits, flowers — and at least one last-minute trip to the store for something your teenager forgot to mention.

This year, Lightridge High School and John Champe High School are celebrating Homecoming, which means it’s going to be a busy week around Aldie.

And as an Aldie mom with kids at Lightridge, I’m right there with you.

So instead of making you search five different places, I pulled together a quick Aldie Homecoming 2026 guide with some of the things families may want to know — from the big events to dinner ideas and where to grab those last-minute Homecoming proposal supplies.

Aldie Homecoming 2026: Lightridge High School

Lightridge High School is located on Collaboration Drive in Aldie. Loudoun County Public Schools

Homecoming Week: September 28-October 3

Homecoming Football Game: Friday, October 2 at 7:00 PM vs Freedom High School

Homecoming Dance: Saturday, October 3 from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Parade: Friday, October 2 at 4:45 pm

If you live near Lightridge, especially along Braddock Road, Northstar Boulevard or the streets surrounding the school, keep the Homecoming festivities in mind when making your weekend plans.

And give yourself extra time around the football game. Between students, parents, alumni and regular Friday-night traffic, this is not the evening I'd choose to be running five minutes late.

John Champe High School Homecoming 2026

Across Aldie, the Knights are celebrating too.

John Champe High School, located on Sacred Mountain Street in Aldie, serves another large part of our 20105 community.

Homecoming Week: September 28 - October 3

Homecoming Football Game: Thursday, October 1 at 7:00 PM vs Briar Woods

Homecoming Dance: Saturday, October 3 from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Parade: Thursday, October 1 at 4:45 pm

With both schools celebrating around the same time, expect plenty of school colors, decorated cars and dressed-up teenagers around Aldie.

Where to Take Homecoming Pictures in Aldie

Before dinner and the dance comes the photo shoot. And, apparently, approximately 847 pictures.

Fortunately, there are some pretty backdrops around Aldie and nearby.

For outdoor photos, think about Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park, the landscaped areas around local neighborhoods, or even your own backyard if you have good light and enough room for the group.

One piece of mom advice: don't overcomplicate this part. The kids mostly want to be together. Find good light, give them some room, take the obligatory parent pictures — and then let them have at it.

Where to Have Homecoming Dinner Near Aldie

This may be the part I'd plan now.

When hundreds of students from Lightridge and John Champe are heading out on the same weekend, restaurants in and around Aldie, South Riding and Brambleton can fill quickly — especially if you're trying to seat a group of 8, 10 or 12 teenagers.

Depending on what your group wants, look around:

Brambleton Town Center for several restaurants close together; South Riding for convenient options near Aldie; and the Route 50 corridor if the kids want something casual and close to home.

And here's the important part: call ahead if you have a large group. Don't assume a restaurant can accommodate 12 teenagers at 5:30 on Homecoming Saturday just because online reservations aren't showing anything.

Need Homecoming Proposal Supplies?

Apparently asking someone to Homecoming is now an event unto itself.

If your teenager suddenly announces, “I need poster board, candy and balloons tonight,” you have options near Aldie.

Your basic HOCO-proposal shopping list will probably include poster board, markers or paint pens, balloons, candy, flowers and whatever very specific item is required to make the pun work.

Target, Walmart, Michaels, Dollar Tree and local grocery stores around the Route 50, South Riding and Dulles areas are good places to start.

My recommendation? Buy the poster board before you think you need the poster board.

Ask me how I know.

Don't Forget the Flowers

Corsages and boutonnieres aren't quite as universal as they once were, but plenty of students still do them.

If yours wants flowers, order early rather than assuming you'll be able to walk into a florist Saturday afternoon and find exactly what you need.

And ask your teenager first. This is not the moment to discover that the elaborate corsage you ordered does not fit the aesthetic.

Homecoming Week Is One of Those Very “Aldie” Weeks

One of the things I love about living in Aldie is that despite how much this area has grown, there are still moments when it feels like a community.

Homecoming is one of them.

You'll see the school colors. You'll see the pictures all over social media. You'll see families heading to football games and groups of teenagers dressed up for dinner. And you'll probably run into someone you know while making that emergency run for safety pins, poster board or hairspray.

Lightridge and John Champe are both part of the fabric of Aldie — and Homecoming week is a fun reminder of just how many families make up this community.

Have a wonderful Homecoming, Bolts and Knights!

And parents: Godspeed.

Thinking About Living in Aldie?

If you're considering buying or selling a home in Aldie, Virginia, I'm always happy to be a local resource. I'm Janelle Brevard, REALTOR® with Hunt Country Sotheby's International Realty, and Aldie isn't simply an area I sell in — it's the community my family and I call home.

Whether you have a question about the Aldie real estate market, neighborhoods, schools or what it's actually like to live in 20105, reach out anytime at 202-373-4536, janelle@janellebrevardrealestate.com, or visit JanelleBrevardRealEstate.com.