It’s a day that marks a new beginning for incoming freshmen at The University of New Mexico. It all starts for those students when UNM hosts Freshman Family Day on Sunday, Aug. 18 starting at 4 p.m. with a formal convocation for incoming freshmen.

The day features a series of events to help students and their families to feel welcomed and get acquainted with UNM’s campus by recognizing all incoming freshmen and introduces them and their families to University administrators, faculty, staff and important Lobo locations.

The formal convocation runs from 4 to 5 p.m. at Popejoy Hall with doors opening at 3 p.m. Freshmen are given free UNM T-shirts and seated together as a class in Popejoy Hall. The ceremony opens with a welcome followed by performances and videos to give freshmen and their families a glimpse of student life at UNM.

Tickets are required to enter into the formal convocation. Tickets are free, but must be reserved online ahead of time and printed at home. Guest seating in Popejoy is limited. Once all seats are taken, guests will be directed to alternate nearby venues where they will see a livecast of the event.

Tickets are available at Freshman Convocation. Freshmen who have signed up online through the site will get an email before the event with further instructions for obtaining tickets for their guests.

Immediately following the ceremony, freshmen have the opportunity to attend a reception or class crawl—or both. The reception will include hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and ice cream. The reception will take place in the Student Union Building and Cornell Mall area east of the SUB.

Freshmen also have the opportunity to attend Class Crawl where they have the opportunity to have upperclassmen help show them to where their classes are on a campus tour.

The night is concluded with a movie on Johnson Field at 8 p.m. where freshmen and their families have the opportunity to watch Aladdin.

For more information on parking instructions, visit Student/Guest Instructions.