Aggie Spirit

The Aggie Bonfire signals the annual football game between Texas A&M and the University of Texas. On the night before the game — or two nights before if it is played in Austin — the Corps of Cadets stands at attention to the music of “The Spirit of Aggieland” while the bonfire sends its flames and sparks spiraling into the sky.

Bonfire is entirely financed by the donations of former students and the community. It is organized by student leaders known as Red Pots and the Corps of Cadets and traditionally belongs to the freshman class, but the entire student body helps build the world’s largest bonfire. The building and burning of Bonfire, which takes two weeks of nonstop work to complete after months of gathering wood (from land which needed to be cleared and is donated), symbolizes the burning desire to beat t.u. and the undying love Aggies everywhere carry for Texas A&M.

Bonfire formerly took place on the intramural field south of Duncan Dining Hall on the southern edge of campus, but has been moved to the polo fields at the northeast corner of campus.

While students burn Bonfire in the fall, they build back the environment by planting trees at Aggie Replant. During the spring semester, students replant trees to replace those burned at Bonfire. Started as a service project in 1991, replant today has grown so that today over 40,000 trees are planted. Students from all aspects of campus participate in this one-day project which focuses on giving back to the environment.

Bonfire did not burn in 1999 after 12 Aggies were killed following the stack's collapse.