Dartmouth Night Bonfire Returns to Homecoming

Engineering PhD student Grant Summermatter Th'23 Th'24 is supervising the build this year. (Photo by Catha Mayor)

The bonfire itself has changed over the decades, including a redesign in 2018 led by Douglas Van Citters '99 Th'03 Th'06, now dean of engineering, to make the structure safer.

Engineering PhD student Grant Summermatter Th'23 Th'24, who is supervising the build this year, is working with departments across campus and teaching student volunteers about safety protocols and construction practices. His father, Paul, was in the Class of 1992, and Summermatter went to Homecoming bonfires growing up, and later as an engineering student at Thayer. 

The build is going to be "a learning experience for me but a great opportunity to improve the build process," says Summermatter, who hopes to involve as many first-year students as possible. "There are so many people and processes going on behind the scenes to make this event happen, and having the privilege to be a part of that has been interesting."

The Homecoming parade will start lining up at 7:15pm on Wheelock Street and wend its way to the Green. The Class of 2030 will be "swept" from spirit stations around campus, and the ceremonies start at 8:00pm in front of Dartmouth Hall, followed by the bonfire at 8:30pm.