DeKalb and NIU are gearing up for Family Weekend.

The event will last from today until Saturday and will allow students’ siblings and parents to experience NIU.

Because of budget cuts, weekend festivities will be held for two days, instead of the usual three.

“We’re hoping that next year we can get it back to three days,” said Jaquita Logan, special events coordinator for Campus Activities Board.

Back this year is magician Mike Super, who will perform at 7 p.m. today at the Holmes Student Center’s Duke Ellington Ballroom. The event costs $5 for NIU students and $7 for non-students.

“I’ve never seen him before, but I’m really excited to see what kind of a show he will put on,” Logan said. “He was really popular in the other years that he was here, so we decided to bring him back.”

A first-time family game show event will take place at 8 p.m. Saturday, also in the Duke Ellington Ballroom.

The “Jeopardy”-style game show “ThinkFast” will allow families to compete with each other and audience members for prizes.

CAB receives feedback from participants to improve Family Weekend each year.

“We arrange events according to what we think is appropriate for families, and we always ask for feedback from people that go to the events,” Logan said.

DeKalb businesses have been planning for Family Weekend, too.

With moms, dads, siblings and the like descending on DeKalb, many hotels are booked for the weekend and some restaurants are preparing with extra staff.

The Baymont Inn and Suites, 1314 W. Lincoln Highway, sold out rooms for this weekend a few months ago, said front desk Manager Michael Smith.

Smith said weekends this year have been sold out since the Maryland game because of the football team’s success, but Family Weekend and Homecoming sell out every year.

Baymont will add a manager at the front desk in preparation for crowds, Smith said. There usually is only one employee working the front desk.

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar, 2411 Sycamore Road, does not take reservations, but still is expecting calls from people trying to change that, bar Manager Kenny Fischer said.

Even though restaurants and hotels are preparing for an influx of visitors, the DeKalb Police Department will not do anything different than normal, DeKalb police Lt. Jim Kayes said.

“It’s a big deal for NIU, but for us it’s not that big of a deal,” Kayes said. He attributed this to the fact that the Family Weekend crowd is different than the Homecoming crowd.

“You’re bringing up families; you’re not bringing in a bunch of people who are not from the area coming to party,” he said.