One of the most anticipated and well-attended Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry traditions is the Bed Races.
Students team up into groups of five, and create a team name and costumes to match. Two team members sit in the wheeled bed, with the front passenger steering, while the other three members push it.
They race bracket-style, running down Packer Avenue to the cheers of students lining both sides of the street.
The tradition is especially popular among seniors, who often want to participate in the Bed Races before they graduate.
The races originated in the 1970s, when engineering students were tasked with building their teams’ bed. It was also part of Greek Week, and the teams were comprised of fraternity brothers.
Back then, teams would push their bed down the Hill and past the Greek houses, which was a much steeper course than the ones students race today.
The event, while popular during that time, was deemed unsafe and discontinued. Alumni made efforts to revive the tradition in the late 2000s, and it is now regulated for safety and occurs the week before the rivalry game.
When the tradition was reinstated, students raced on the same type of beds found in dorms across campus, instead of building their own. In 2014, these were replaced with remodeled, safer bed frames.
This year, the races will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 20. Registration is open now, with a mandatory safety meeting scheduled for Nov. 18.