University of Guelph Homecoming turns into a mass street disturbance

Police take down partygoers as thousands of students flood University of Guelph Homecoming, with fires set, bottles thrown at emergency crews and business windows smashed.

Guelph Mayor @CamGuthrie says he's "pretty ticked" and "beyond upset" at the videos, and he "cannot stand"… pic.twitter.com/ACNe0Yr82j

— TrendingPolitics.ca (@TrendPolCa) September 28, 2026

September 28–29, 2026 — University of Guelph Homecoming turns into a mass street disturbance

https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/homecoming-the-worst-ive-ever-seen-it-says-mayor-cam-guthrie-12831240

Thousands gathered for an unsanctioned street party on Chancellors Way during University of Guelph Homecoming. Police shut down the road and eventually brought in the tactical unit as the crowd became increasingly difficult to control. Videos showed fights, fires and people throwing objects. Officials said several people were injured, while emergency services treated roughly 60 patients.

The mayor called it “absolute chaos” and said he considered it the worst Homecoming disturbance he had seen in Guelph. The university president said the event created a serious risk to students, neighbors and the wider community and said the university would have to change its approach to unsanctioned gatherings.

Police and city officials are now dealing with the aftermath

https://www.the1news.com/public/index.php/article/chaos-breaks-out-at-ontario-universitys-homecoming-celebration

Police said the situation became serious enough that additional tactical officers were deployed to help frontline officers and emergency responders. There were several criminal charges, and the disturbance put pressure on the city’s emergency department.

One student told CTV that people were throwing cans, fighting and yelling. Another witness described seeing someone fall three stories while apparently trying to enter an apartment. That individual’s condition was not established in the report.

The university is now pointing at an unusual problem

The University of Guelph president specifically raised concern about people who aren’t university students participating in the unsanctioned gatherings.

That doesn’t mean outsiders caused the entire disturbance. The university acknowledged that some students were also involved. But officials are now questioning whether the current Homecoming model is attracting crowds beyond the university community that it cannot safely manage.