Note: The following appears in the SMU football gameday program.
Clemson’s Homecoming celebration, Tigerama, takes place on Friday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. This event has grown immensely from where it started 68 years ago, when a famous alum, Joe Sherman, brought this idea to Clemson in hopes of creating a uniting event full of spirit at the end of Homecoming week. Tigerama has grown to feature student groups, entertainment segments, philanthropic efforts, fireworks and a concert every year on the Friday night of Homecoming week.
The 69th Tigerama takes a ride on the Tour de Tigerama with fellow students, alumni and family members alike. There is a free pre-show block party from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. under the north-side stadium breezeway next to Avenue of Champions. The block party includes food for families, trunk-or-treat for children and tables from local businesses.
The show starts at 7 p.m. and includes performances and skits from student groups, fraternities, athletes and others. The night concludes with our historical fireworks show and a performance by country music group, Lanco, a multi-platinum recording artist whose album, “Hallelujah Nights,” and No. 1 Song, “Greatest Love Story,” topped the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in 2018.
This year’s theme is “Tour de Tigerama,” which represents every student and alumnus’ journey through Clemson as a race. Every student’s time at Clemson looks different…different turns, times when it flies by and times when time stands as the clock tower. There is always something to do, people watching you and a crew to help you get through your crashes along the way.
Each Clemson alumnus has experienced several victories and losses, but there is something in these hills that keeps people coming back time after time. Tigerama is an annual representation of the four years each alumnus has spent here, calling back to their time beneath the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
Tigerama was started in 1957 by Joe Blandford and Clemson Blue Key as a Homecoming pep rally to celebrate Clemson students and traditions. Sixty-eight years later, it is the second-largest, fully-student-run pep rally in the nation. Thousands of students and alumni gather each year on the Friday before the Homecoming game to celebrate the traditions that bring them together.
This year’s directors are Greenville, S.C. natives John Walker Bolding and Catherine Taylor. Bolding is a senior computer engineering student and Taylor is a junior nursing student. This year, we are pleased to offer student tickets priced at $10 per person and community tickets priced at $15 per person.
Tigerama tickets are available online at ClemsonTigerama.org. Follow us on Instagram at @cutigerama for updates and communication about the event.
