How much bigger can they get? Texas race for largest mum continues

Mum mania has officially taken over Texas high schools.

Students at Oak Ridge High School are currently constructing the monster arrangement that is estimated to measure 25 feet in diameter with ribbons over 150 feet long.
Oak Ridge High School

Chron.
By Ariana Garcia
Oct 19, 2023

Some things really are bigger in Texas, including the ever-expanding race for the biggest take on a popular homecoming tradition. All across the Lone Star State, schools have been vying for the title of the world's largest homecoming mum. Short for chrysanthemums, the oversized corsages are made of ribbons, bells, charms and a button sewn together and are typically designed to be worn around a woman's neck in honor of homecoming celebrations. However, the mum mania has gotten out of hand lately, with classic materials being switched out for things like butcher paper or table cloths, so massive they require entire teams and special tools to carry.

Students from Princeton High School pose for photos with an 18 feet tall mum created by students from the advanced floral class.
Princeton ISD

Currently leading the race is Arlington ISD in North Texas, which holds the Guinness world record for largest ever homecoming mum. The 22-feet long and 119 square feet pink and white edition was constructed in 2021 by the district's special education department. But so far in the 2023-2024 school year, several schools across the state have already outsized that. Which only begs the question, how much bigger can they get? Apparently, we haven't seen anything yet.

At the end of September, students from an advanced floral class at Princeton High School in North Texas displayed an 18-foot-tall mum to show off their homecoming pride. However, it was swiftly followed by Katy's Morton Ranch High School unveiling a 20-foot-long mum, dubbed "Big Bertha." But just when we thought the mums couldn't possibly get any bigger, on Oct. 13, students at Lewisville High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area displayed a 37-foot-long, maroon, white and silver mum that measured roughly 290 square feet. Their rendition was made of plywood, chicken wire, hundreds of feet of ribbon, faux flowers, Christmas ornaments and more.

"It's a symbol of our school pride," Lewisville student Ella Walker told the Dallas Morning News. "This is a piece of Texas culture, and Texas goes all out." 

Dickinson High School students constructed a 28 feet mum this year.
Dickinson High School


More than 50 students, teachers and volunteers constructed Dickinson High School's 28 feet mum.
Dickinson High School

Surely Lewisville would reign supreme, right? Wrong. Last week, Dickinson High School students said not so fast and revealed a mum that was 28 feet long, which took more than 50 students, teachers and volunteers to make. It also left behind a massive trail of glitter in its wake. But when Texas City High School caught word of Dickinson's attempt, they created their own Texas-sized version in only two days. It measured a whopping 49 feet and three inches and topped with an image of the state. 

Texas City High School students recently created a mum that measured 49 feet tall.
Texas City ISD


Students at Texas City High School display their massive 49 feet tall homecoming mum.
Texas City ISD

However, a Houston area high school just announced its version is on the road to eclipse all mums that came before it, measuring anywhere between 1,000 to 2,000 square feet in size. Students at Oak Ridge High School are currently constructing the monster arrangement that is estimated to measure 25 feet in diameter with ribbons over 150 feet long.

Students at Oak Ridge High School are currently constructing a homecoming mum that will measure between 1,000 and 2,000 square feet and stand over 100 feet tall.
Oak Ridge High School

Made of flat bar, tubing, table cloths and chicken wire, the gargantuan corsage will finally be revealed on Oct. 27 and measured by a land surveyor to see if it breaks the record. But will another colossal-sized mum come and dethrone it? We'll just have to wait until the homecoming season in Texas finally comes to an end.