STUDENT: Senior Candle Lighting and Toast 2026
REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS CLOSED.
DUE TO LOCATION CHANGE, EVENT IS AT CAPACITY.
Event Details
PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO THE WEATHER FORECAST, WE HAVE MOVED TO OUR RAIN LOCATION IN WILSON HALL.
The celebration continues! The dinner at D-Hall and Carrier Procession will still happen as scheduled. The Candle Lighting and Toast portion will also still happen, just in Wilson Hall instead of on the Quad.
Unfortunately, the predicted weather has grounded our Special Drone Performance for the evening, but we hope to be able to share this show with you at Homecoming later this year instead.
Class of 2026, join the JMU Alumni Association in Wilson Hall for Senior Candle Lighting and Toast, JMU’s oldest Madison Tradition. As the sun sets, you’ll take part in a brief but meaningful ceremony where members of the Class of 2026 are officially inducted into the JMU Alumni Association through a candle lighting and pinning ceremony. We’ll close the evening with a celebratory champagne toast to welcome you into the alumni family.
This year offers a few moments you won’t want to miss. You’ll have the opportunity to process through the newly renovated Carrier Library before arriving to Wilson Hall for the ceremony. Lineup for the procession begins at 7:00 p.m., with the procession stepping off at 7:15 p.m.
Make an evening of it:
- 5:30-6:30 p.m. | early bird checkin is available at the Wilson Hall entrance of D-Hall. Beat the lines and get your wrist band early (you will need a wrist band to participate in the champagne toast).
- 5:30 p.m. | D-Hall is open with all of your favorites. Pay at the door and then enjoy your JMU favs for one more time as a student.
- 7 p.m. | Line up for the Carrier Library procession begins. The line will form at the Carrier entrance between the Honors College and Keezell Hall.
- 7:15 p.m. | Procession through Carrier and to Wilson Hall begins.
- 7:30 p.m. | Wilson opens for Candle Lighting Ceremony. If you did not do the early bird checkin, you will be ID'ed and wrist banded at this time. Donor cords will also be available for pickup during this time.
- 8:15 p.m. | Senior Candle Lighting and Toast ceremony begins.
- 8:45 p.m. | program concludes. Registered students can pickup their commemorative champagne glass giveaway on their way out of the program.
Reminders:
- Please bring a photo ID if you would like to participate in the toast.
- Commemorative champagne glasses will be available for registered students to pickup at the end of the Candle Lighting Ceremony
Parents/Guardian Participation
You have been part of your Dukes journey every step of the way, and today is no different! Join your Duke for Dinner at D-Hall (pay at the door), line the sidewalk between Carrier and the Quad for the Library Procession and then join us in raising a glass on the Quad to their accomplishment. There is a $10* charge to participate with your Duke in the Candle Lighting and Toast portion of the evening.
*No refunds will be given for inclement weather.
Senior Class Gift
This year, the Senior Class Gift is supporting the Dukes Pay it Forward Annual Scholarship. By donating $10 or more, you open doors for future Dukes and receive a green philanthropy graduation cord. Stop by the Office of Annual Giving table at this event to pick up your cord.
Student participants will receive an exclusive Class of 2026 gift while supplies last—a keepsake for a night you’ll remember long after graduation.
Please note: You must be 21+ and present a valid photo ID to participate in the champagne toast. Be sure to bring your JAC card as well.
Come ready to celebrate, reflect, and take your place in a tradition that connects generations of Dukes.
Questions?
Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@jmu.edu or 540-568-6234.