On August 16, the new cadets were officially accepted into the Corps of Cadets with the Acceptance Day Parade. This is one of only four parades that are totally dedicated to a particular class during the entire West Point experience (R-Day, Plebe-Parent Weekend, and Graduations are the others). CBT training culminates with the Acceptance Day Parade.
The upperclassmen march onto the field, and the new cadets march along the outer edges of the Plain, forming in front of the bleachers. After their “acceptance,” the cadet companies will open their ranks on the parade field to allow the new cadets to assume their positions as Plebes in their academic year companies and as the newest members of the Long Gray Line. They will then pass in review. This will be the first time they wear their white hats. Also, something interesting to note about this symbolic act of opening the ranks is that this is done in reverse by the Firsties during their Graduation Parade in the spring when they march on the Plain for the last time with the Corps of Cadets and depart their companies to stand at the edge of the Plain and watch the remaining classes pass in review in front of them. The incoming class of 2029 will fill in the ranks left vacant by the graduating class of 2025 in the Corps of Cadets.
You can find the A Day Parade Field Map here.
