Come Rain or Shine: Comeback 2026
Design school builds resilient people—or so Comeback 2026 seemed to suggest. A raging nor’easter proved little deterrent to the 350 alumni who returned to the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) on September 25 and 26.
Through driving rain and howling winds, alumni and friends converged on Gund Hall to revisit familiar haunts, reconnect across generations of GSD graduates, and join faculty-led discussions for continuing education credit. Sessions ranged widely, from intergenerational living to temporary infrastructure to artificial intelligence. Beyond the academic program, a full slate of social events offered more informal opportunities to gather—and, as the storm intensified, to put that vaunted resilience to the test.
The opening festivities—which included optional building tours and an alumni-only reception—culminated Friday evening in Beer ’N Dogs, a beloved, long-running GSD tradition. There, returning alumni mingled with nearly 500 current students beneath an expansive tent in Gund Garden. As the storm gathered force, however, it became clear that the tent would be a casualty. Even secured by large concrete blocks, it was no match for the conditions; with stronger gusts forecast for Saturday, organizers dismantled it that night. By then, though, drinks had been shared, old ties renewed, and new ones formed.
Saturday brought high winds and, at times, pelting rain, but attendees pressed on with a full day of learning, socializing, and even venturing outdoors. Clad in transparent plastic ponchos, one group braved the elements for a 90-minute walking tour of the GSD neighborhood. Inside Gund Hall, some improvisation was required as well: meals proceeded as planned, while seating intended for the now-absent tent was relocated to Stubbins and the Pit. The day concluded with the Alumni Award Ceremony, hosted by Dean Sarah Whiting, followed by a dinner reception where guests lingered over the day’s conversations, celebrated the evening’s honorees, and traded stories over food and drinks. The weather may have altered the setting, but it hardly dampened the mood.
Remy, the neighborhood cat and the GSD’s unofficial mascot, was also a familiar presence throughout the weekend, seemingly unfazed by the crowds or the weather.
When Comeback finally drew to a close, the tent was gone and the nor’easter had left its mark. The conversations, reunions, and celebrations, however, had carried on—a fitting reminder that coming back to the GSD means more than revisiting a familiar place; it means reconnecting with a community.
