Bridgewater College first hosted a Parents' Day on May 5, 1956. Parents were invited to campus then as part of the May Day festivities.

In 1961, Bridgewater College began to celebrate Parents' Day as an annual event. Parents' Day was usually held in autumn. Archival photographs show Bridgewater College students and their families at receptions with faculty and College administrators, enjoying lunch, and attending musical and theatrical performances. Families also enjoyed athletic events on Parents' Day such as field hockey matches, track meets, and football games. There were open houses for parents in the residence halls and sometimes cultural exhibitions.

Family Day proved to be a popular campus event for Bridgewater College. A Parents' Advisory Committee formed in 1965. They were active in planning and carrying out Parents' Day in addition to other volunteer work that benefited the campus.

Bridgewater College appears to have started celebrating an entire Parents' Weekend in the early 1990s.

Bridgewater College renamed and expanded Parents' Weekend to a more inclusive Family Weekend in October 2000. Activities such as movies and games for younger siblings of Bridgewater College students were added at that time.

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