Inclement Weather Update: Friday’s undergraduate Commencement ceremony has been moved to Bridgestone Arena. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. Ceremony begins at 10 a.m.
Graduate and professional students will not move to Bridgestone Arena due to timing constraints. You will be contacted by your school or college about any changes to your ceremony locations.
More details about the shift in plans, including parking and shuttle locations, can be found on the Commencement website.
Previous information
With rain in the forecast during Vanderbilt’s Graduates Day and Commencement festivities on May 11–12, event planners have secured an alternate location for the undergraduate Commencement ceremony—Bridgestone Arena, 501 Broadway in Nashville—in case Mother Nature brings storms to the outdoor ceremony planned for Alumni Lawn.
Here’s what you need to know in case it rains:
- Graduates Day on May 11 will shift to a livestream format. You will be able to watch speaker Maria Ressa’s speech to the Vanderbilt community online, with a link posted at vanderbilt.edu/commencement.
- The undergraduate Commencement ceremony will be moved to Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville and will start at 10 a.m. (start time will move one hour later to allow for additional travel time downtown). Campus leaders plan to monitor the weather and will make a decision about event location on Thursday, May 11. Graduates and their families will be notified of a location switch by email; up-to-date information will be available online in the announcements section of vanderbilt.edu/commencement. Need directions on how to get to the arena? Maps are available here. A list of downtown parking lots is available here.
- Graduate and professional students will not move to Bridgestone Arena in the event of rain due to timing constraints. Students will be contacted by their schools or colleges about any shifts to their ceremony locations. Keep an eye on your email and your school’s communication channels for any changing locations.
Rain or shine, Commencement for the Class of 2023 will be a day to reflect on this chapter of their lives at Vanderbilt and to celebrate all that is in the future for these amazing graduates. We are looking forward to honoring all who will share in this special occasion and will keep participants as up to date as possible as a clearer picture of the day’s weather unfolds.
