"What is the Princeton Pre-Rade?" you ask.. It's a new "tradition" for incoming freshmen at the beginning of Freshman Week. The freshmen, typically wearing t-shirts of their residential colleges, follow the university band through Fitz Randolph Gate, march across Nassau Lawn and continue onto an arch sing at Blair Arch. Local alumni and parents of the new Princetonians cheer them on. Alumni typically wear their reunion p-rade costumes, class jackets and other gaudy orange and black attire. It is not a replacement for p-rade, but an interesting ceremony welcoming the next class of undergraduates.
If you haven't been to a Princeton Pre-Rade, it's time to check it out (and continue the party at Triumph). If you see a lost looking parent, please invite him/her to join us, as well.