As prom season rapidly approaches, students from every school in the county are preparing for the formal night at each of their schools. Dresses, nails, hair-dos, and dinner reservations are on most girls’ minds.

Homecoming comes along with football season and Friday night lights, while Prom brings the school-year excitement to a near close toward the end of the year. Prom season is historically more stressful than the beginning of the school year excitement around Homecoming, majorly attributed to finding the perfect dress for the much more formal dance, but which one is better?

Homecoming is accompanied by the sports season that kicks off the school year and brings much of the student body together. Whether that is through band and performing at the football games, participating in being on the team, or in the school’s spirit group, Homecoming has a great culture surrounding it that includes a lot of teamwork and positivity.

“[Homecoming has a more together feeling], especially going to like football games and things like that,” junior Allie Detterman said.

Senior McKinzie Connelly agreed that homecoming season contains a closer “togetherness” feeling as opposed to prom season.

Prom, of course, is also surrounded by excitement, although nothing like Homecoming. The end of the year comes just days after Prom and for many seniors, this night is the closing of their high school experience in addition to final concerts and games with the groups they participate in, all leading up to commencement.

“[Prom] is a time for most [seniors] to all get together before graduating,” senior Mackenzie Kirk commented.

Prom’s more formal dresses typically run parents, or students, more money as well. Many websites say that the average cost for a prom dress is anywhere between five to seven hundred dollars. Homecoming, in contrast, usually only runs someone about one to two hundred dollars for a dress, three or four on the pricier side.

However, accessories for both can, and usually do, drive the overall cost of the chosen look for the dance to rise more than just what is paid for the dress.

“[Homecoming dresses] are less expensive and there isn’t as much prep needed as there is for prom,” senior McKinzie Connelly commented.

Prom and Homecoming both come with their fair share of drama, considering the counting of votes from the student body results in two students being crowned king and queen, and this can create tension or be a fun and harmless activity. The popularity contest that courts bring to formal dances is something that many students do not appreciate about them.

“It feels like there is more pressure to find a date [for prom],” junior Allie Detterman said.

Ultimately, whichever one seems more enjoyable, both are intended to be a fun time for students to dress up and feel special. “The sports/football aspect is so much better for [homecoming], so it just depends on if you mean the dances themselves or the buildup, because the buildup to [homecoming] is better, but the dance aspect of prom is much better,” junior Katy Rubiola concluded.