The Urbana High School Homecoming is on Saturday, October 14th, from 8 to 11 pm. Homecoming is something that students look forward to every year. What’s not to like about hanging out and dancing with your friends or significant other into all hours of the night? Well, that’s all well and good if you HAVE a boyfriend/girlfriend to go with, but if you don’t maybe you’re feeling like it’s not even worth going to Homecoming. For all you single people out there, there are a couple suggestions for ways to ask someone out that you are not already involved with. For those of you who have someone you are dating already, below are 11 creative ways to ask someone to Homecoming. And for those of you who have no interest in taking anyone but are not sure if you want to go to the dance? Go! You can have fun with your friends or by yourself. Without a pre-planned date, you’re free to dance with whoever you’d like. You might even meet someone new. Homecoming is a time to have fun and be social, no matter if you have a date or not. Good luck with your proposals!

1. Scavenger Hunt: Want your date to work hard for your Homecoming proposal? Set up a series of clues around school or town and wait at the site of the last clue and ask them to Homecoming. This idea is good for anyone who wants to make the Homecoming proposal as fun as the actual date.
2. Hide your proposal in a word game: If your boyfriend/girlfriend likes word games, this might be the way to go. Start a game of scrabble and with each turn, put down the words “Will you go to Homecoming with me”. Another option would be a word find puzzle. Create one yourself and hide the message in the scrambled letters.
3. Put your proposal on a car window: If your significant other is lucky enough to own a car, and if they won’t mind having paint on their back window, this is a simple way to ask them to Homecoming. A word of warning; make sure you buy temporary paint (temporary being the key word) which is available at most craft stores. If you want to be really nice, clean the paint off as well. And please, make sure you paint the right car.
4. Flowers: Not to sound cliche, but flowers are a simple way to show your affection for your significant other. Have a bouquet delivered to their house, or deliver it yourself with a message asking them to the dance.
5. Hide your proposal in a box: Does your boyfriend/girlfriend like donuts or pizza? Surprise them with a proposal and something good to eat. Just write your proposal on the inside of the box lid. If you’re lucky maybe they’ll save you a slice of pizza or a donut.
6. Ask them in a foreign language: This idea works best if you have a foreign language class together or if your significant other knows another language very well. Write out the question in the foreign language asking if they will go to Homecoming and tell them that you are not sure what the sentence means. Ask them to help translate it for you. They won’t expect it and they have to work a little hard for this one.
7. Write it on the sidewalk: This is a good idea for anyone who like to draw. If your boyfriend/girlfriend has a sidewalk or driveway in front of their house, use sidewalk chalk to decorate their walkway with your Homecoming proposal. Make sure that you are not drawing on anyone else’s sidewalk or driveway, as some people do not like to have chalk all over their walkways. And also try to plan ahead and make sure it is not going to rain…you don’t want your proposal getting washed away. If you want a simple idea to draw, draw a traditional hopscotch grid with 10 numbered squares and a big rectangle at the end reading ‘Homecoming?’ instead ‘Home’.
8. Take them out and surprise them with something to drink: Go to a coffee or soda shop. Go up to order drinks, but have an empty bottle or drink cup to give to your partner. (This would probably work best with an empty bottle. You don’t want your homecoming proposal falling into a soda bottle.) Have a rolled up piece of paper sticking out of the mouth of the bottle or out of the straw with your proposal on it. Come back with your drink and say they were out of the one they wanted so you got them something different you thought they would like. Your boyfriend/girlfriend will probably wonder why there is a piece of paper sticking out of the drink container and read it. This is a simple idea that is easy to execute, with the help of the staff at the coffee shop of course.
9. Movie Night Proposal: Invite your boyfriend/girlfriend over for a movie at your house, or if you prefer, go out to the movies. However, this idea will probably work best at home. Write your Homecoming proposal on a small piece of paper and seal it in a plastic ziploc bag so it won’t get greasy. Then pop some popcorn and put your proposal-in-a-bag in the popcorn bowl. When the two of you are digging around in the bowl trying to find the most buttery pieces, your partner will be very surprised.
10. Fortune Cookie Proposal: Surprise your partner with a Chinese food dinner. A nice dinner is a great way to set a relaxed atmosphere and spend some time with your boyfriend/girlfriend. When you get the food, make sure to open up a fortune cookie package beforehand and use tweezers to get the slip of paper out. Replace the fortune with your Homecoming proposal. Present your fortune cookies at the end of the meal.
11. Get them a pumpkin: So how exactly is a pumpkin romantic? When you carve your Homecoming proposal on it! Since homecoming is held in the fall, surprise your partner with a carved pumpkin. Get a real one, or go to a Michael’s craft store and take advantage of their seasonal offer for custom carved craft pumpkins. Make sure to include some candy as well. Your homecoming proposal will be like an early trick-or-treat.

The boy in the back row in your second block. Your lab partner in chemistry. The girl who sits next to you at lunch. Maybe one of these people are who you’re thinking you’d like to go to Homecoming with. For those of you who do not have a boyfriend or girlfriend that you can rely on to ask, but see someone you may want to go with, here are a few ideas that you may want to try. Keep in mind, because you do not know the person you will be asking very well, some of the ideas listed above are more suited for people who already are dating. Try to get to know someone a little before you ask them out. Sometimes a simple approach works best to ask someone out that you may not know very well.

Write a note: For those of you who prefer a not-so-awkward approach to asking someone out, writing a simple note would be a good way to ask someone that you are possibly nervous about approaching.

Drop subtle hints in front of them: While this does not count as directly asking someone, it is a good way to read out the person you want to ask. If you ask a few questions about going to Homecoming, they may be more likely to say yes later when you ask. This will, in a subtle way, show your crush that you are interested.

Just ask: It may seem nerve-wracking at first, it may feel like your stomach is doing somersaults, but asking someone to go to homecoming in person will make that person appreciate it more. You are taking time and are courteous enough to ask them face to face. It takes guts, but you may score more points for meeting them in person. Talking to the person you want to ask out will make you seem more friendly and engaging, and it gives you an opportunity to talk about it in person instead of by note.

Tip: Avoid asking your crush in front of their friends. This will save you both a lot of embarrassment. Especially if for some reason they say no. (Unfortunately it can happen.)

Something to note with any of these ideas: if your boyfriend/girlfriend/crush does not like grand gestures and would prefer to be surprised by this question in private, make sure you know this before planning anything. Some people are embarrassed by grand gestures.

For those of you who don’t have anyone that you would like to ask on a date to Homecoming, go with some friends and have a great time.

Good Luck!

Some ideas from seventeen.com, dailycamera.com and wikihow.com.