Cannon Green

The Pre-rade takes place during your first-year orientation. At this point, students have just been welcomed to the University and now must officially be welcomed into the school by entering through the middle FitzRandolph Gate. The class files through the gate together for the first time and is welcomed to the University by their peers and administrators.

After Commencement in early June, graduating seniors walk out through FitzRandolph Gate, a symbolic gesture of entering into the “real world."

“Dean’s Date” has long represented the last day for undergraduate students to turn in written coursework. For more than a decade, the date has been celebrated by undergraduates who pack McCosh Courtyard to cheer on their fellow students. The University provides free food, and the Princeton University Band provides the tunes.

The Bonfire is a tradition held on Cannon Green that follows after a "Big Three" football championship (where Princeton beats both Harvard and Yale). After the win, wood and cardboard and other flammable objects start to gather on Cannon Green and students can write messages on them and the pile grows. After several speeches from the team and the Student Government and the University, the now very large pile is lit on fire and is an incredible sight to see. The most recent ones were in 2018 and 2013.

Every year before graduation, Princeton hosts its massive alumni Reunions. This University-wide celebration is the largest reunions in the country; welcoming back over 25,000 alumni to campus each year.