Bellarmine University's annual Sparks at Knight fireworks show -- on Saturday, August 22 -- will welcome new and returning students to campus for the 2026-27 academic year. 
 
The fireworks display, featuring approximately 300 shells, takes place after 9 p.m. Bellarmine's neighbors are invited to join students, faculty, staff, and alumni for the show, which can be viewed from the hill behind the University Dining Hall (building 5c on the campus map). 

The first day of classes at Bellarmine is Thursday, August 20. 

Bellarmine is welcoming its biggest entering class in a decade, and one of the largest in university history. Key facts about the Class of 2030:

• 686 first-year students
• 60% will live on campus
• 19% are NCAA student-athletes
• 41% are students of color (a record for Bellarmine)
• 54% are first-generation college students
• 21% are from out of state (25 states and 8 countries represented)