By Steve Gilliam, University Relations
The luminaire display has been an annual campus tradition since 1969.
UNCG will light up the night Tuesday, Dec. 6, with a 5,000-candle luminaire display from dusk until 10 p.m.
The candles will decorate the Residence Hall Quadrangle, the Student Plaza outside the Dining Hall, Spring Garden Street and Aycock Street.
Visitors are invited to view the luminaires and join the campus community in welcoming the holidays. The rain date is Wednesday, Dec. 7.
Since the display’s beginning at UNCG in 1969, the number of luminaires has ranged from 3,500 to a high of 7,000. The display has its origins in Spanish and French Christmas customs.
Over the years, more than 140,000 candles and white bags, along with approximately 10 tons of sand, are estimated to have gone into the event. The event is sponsored by UNCG fraternities and sororities, whose members will assemble the bags ahead of time.
The luminaire display is held on Reading Day, a weekday without classes or exams. When the candles burn out, students will need to turn to their books for further illumination – final exams start at 8 a.m. the next day.
