It has been three years since throngs of orange and black-clad Princeton alumni and their families descended on the town and campus for the university’s storied reunions festivities, but the tradition returns in a big way this weekend.
The alumni weekend events run from Thursday, May 19, through Sunday, May 22 — and those seeking to avoid traffic delays and scarcer parking than usual would be smart to avoid trips into downtown Princeton for those days. University parking is extremely limited due to ongoing construction.
For the alumni in attendance, Reunions will be a return to tradition as well as a new experience. Pre-registration was required for all attendees this year, with each participant asked to attest that they are fully up to date on COVID vaccinations or that they will wear a mask at all times while indoors.
But the special events that have long been the hallmark of Reunions will all be there: affinity group and club gatherings, alumni-faculty forums on various topics in current events, and specialty campus tours.
Private events will be held for the Class of 2022 and others celebrating major reunions this year — as well as make-up events for the classes ending in 0s, 1s, 5s, and 6s, who have missed their celebrations when the pandemic caused Reunions to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021. Admission to the headquarters tents for each major reunion is for wristbanded attendees only from 5 p.m. onward each day.
And of course, the famous P-Rade —in which alumni from the very oldest to the soon-to-be graduates of the Class of 2022 parade from the green in front of Nassau Hall down to Poe Field at the southern end of the campus — takes place Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m.
That evening, the traditional fireworks display returns, in a new location, with spectators invited to watch the show from inside the football stadium. A concert by the Princeton University Orchestra precedes the fireworks, starting at 8 p.m. The fireworks kick off at 9:15 p.m.
The P-Rade, orchestra concert, and fireworks are all free and open to the public.
For more information on Reunions, visit reunions.princeton.edu.
