The first Aloha Oe, meaning “a farewell to thee” in Hawaiian, was held May 17, 1926, on Shields-Watkins Field. It was created to be the companion event to Torch Night: A New Beginning, first held for UT freshmen in 1925.
It has since been renamed and become a more formal ceremony, but the purpose is the same: to give graduating students a fun and meaningful conclusion to their collegiate experience.
On May 13, 2026, UT celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Torch Night ceremony with more than 5,000 graduating students in a historic evening on the lawnof Ayres Hall.