Lighting of the Lawn concludes the fall semester and is hosted by the University of Virginia and the Fourth-Year Trustees to get the students , faculty , and community ready for the Holiday Season . The tradition began in 2001 after the terrorist attack on September 11 . The Fourth-Year Council wanted to bring together the community and students to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project and to reflect on the horrors of that day . Today , the goal of the event is “ to reflect on friendships amongst us at present , a time to inspire hope through one another and a time to celebrate the wonderful community which we call home , ” which was stated on the Lighting of the Lawn website for the 2013 celebration . The trustees still raises money at the event and all of the proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project . Lighting of the Lawn includes performances from about 20 acapella groups , the reading of the Fourth-Year poem from a guest speaker , and concludes with the lighting of the Rotunda and the Academic Village as a whole . The poem is written by Trustees of the events throughout the semester and is usually humorous for the crowd ’s enjoyment . After the much anticipated light show on the Rotunda , the lights are lit around the Academic Village and are lit every night until early January
attack on September 11
September 11 attacks
Events Held on The Lawn at UVA