VILLANOVA
Special Olympics
Welcome to Villanova
Special Olympics!
We can't wait to welcome everyone to the 38th annual Fall Festival from November 13-15, 2026.
Sail the Coastal Sea,
Chart Your Course to Victory
The theme for this year’s 38th Fall Festival is “Sail the coastal sea, chart your course to victory!”
Like waves shaping the shoreline, the memories, friendships, and connections we create at Fall fest leave a lasting impact on every athlete, coach, student, parent, and volunteer. This year, we celebrate adventure and determination - inviting everyone to navigate their own journey and discover where their path will lead.
Just like sailors learning to read the wind and tides, we are all charting our own unique courses. Let’s embrace the journey and come together to reach new horizons. This theme brings the coast to life through elements like ships, lighthouses, anchors, the boardwalk, and coastal landscapes.
So you may be wondering - how will we bring this theme to life?
Picture campus filled with shades of ocean blue, coral, and sunset gold.
Imagine competition venues inspired by different coastal themes - each representing a new destination. Picture VJam under a glowing coastal sky as we celebrate after a long day of competition. Imagine the Big Thing hosting a space where everyone can contribute a message in a bottle or express their own course to victory, coming together to chart one incredible journey. DEI can highlight how every journey is unique - like different ships sailing from different ports, all guided by their own stories and experiences.
There is no better place than Fall Fest to discover friendships and create your own adventure. After all, the Athlete Oath is “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” Let us all be brave as we set sail and chase our goals.
Each year, Fall Fest is something truly special. We invite you all to step aboard, embrace the journey, and sail toward something unforgettable. With that said…
“SAIL THE COASTAL SEA, CHART YOUR COURSE TO VICTORY!!”
The theme for the 38th Fall Festival is:
Who are We?
The Special Olympics Pennsylvania Fall Festival is hosted and organized by Villanova University students and is the largest annual student-run Special Olympics event in the world. Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) provides year-round sports training and competition for more than 20,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The organization offers over 260 local and sectional events and four major statewide events - Winter Games, Summer Games, State Floor Hockey Tournament, and Fall Festival - in 23 sports with the opportunity for athletes to advance to regional and international competition. Be sure to read more about this year's 37th annual Fall Festival here on our website and visit www.specialolympicspa.org for more information about other SOPA events.​
Special Olympics
Pennsylvania History
Villanova University traces its Special Olympics roots back to 1979, when it played host to regional events, including the Eastern State Soccer Tournament. In 1989, the soccer tournament welcomed the addition of roller skating, volleyball, long distance running/walking, and equestrian to hold the first Fall Festival in the university's history. The Festival quickly became a well-publicized and popular campus event that was run by a student-only committee. As the Festival grew, so did the committee, and soon the event was coined as the largest annual student-run Special Olympics event in the world.
Fall Festival Today
Today, with support from the university, SOPA, and the surrounding community, the event has grown to welcome over 1,000 athletes, 400 coaches, and 5,000 volunteers, holding competitions in: bocce, long distance running/walking, flag football, powerlifting, soccer and volleyball.
​
In addition to the competitive sporting events offered every year, the Fall Festival has grown to incorporate a variety of auxiliary activities, including elaborate opening & closing ceremonies, the celebratory Victory Dance, Healthy Athlete clinician screenings, an enormous Olympic Town, and a diverse collection of performers and musicians, all at no cost to the athletes.​ To provide these services and amenities for the athletes, the Villanova Special Olympics Committee relies on fundraising and donations.​ In past years, Villanova University has also hosted the 2006 National Games Training Camp and the 2007 World Summer Games Athlete Send-Off. In 2009, Villanova became involved in the national "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign, which seeks to stop the derogatory use of the r-slur. Also, in 2009, the university was honored with the Chairman's Choice Award from the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Hall of Fame.
The Special Olympics Movement
MISSION: Special Olympics is an international organization dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports training and competition. Special Olympics offers children and adults with intellectual disabilities year-round training and competition in 26 Olympic-type summer and winter sports.
​
SCOPE: Special Olympics currently serves more than 2.5 million persons with intellectual disabilities in more than 200 programs in more than 180 countries. Children and adults with intellectual disabilities who participate in Special Olympics develop improved physical fitness and motor skills, greater self-confidence and a more positive self-image. They grow mentally, socially and spiritually and, through their activities, exhibit boundless courage and enthusiasm, enjoy the rewards of friendship and ultimately discover not only new abilities and talents but "their voices" as well.
​
Sergeant Shriver, former Chairman of the Board of Special Olympics International, may have best described Special Olympics when he wrote that the organization is unique and important because of the ways in which it inspires and reveals the very best in human nature. "It has become," he wrote, "one of the most encouraging and profound developments in modern sports."
Advocacy
At Villanova, we are dedicated to advocating for the mission of Special Olympics all year along. In addition to Fall Fest, we have events throughout the year that promote SpO's mission and benefit its cause and athletes.
We hope that you will join us in spreading the world INCLUSION all year long.
Support Us
Would you like to support Special Olympics Fall Festival at Villanova to make 2025 the best competition yet? Check out our Volunteer Page, or Donate Here.​
