How to Attend the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party
The world's largest outdoor cocktail party takes place each year on the last weekend in October in Jacksonville, Florida. Hundreds of thousands of college football fans descend on the city to celebrate one of the longest running rivalries in college football, the University of Florida Gators vs. the University of Georgia (Athens) Bulldogs. While more than 500,000 fans pack Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on game day, thousands more continue the party in the stadium parking lot and at Jacksonville Landing along the St. John's River, catching the game on radios and portable TVs. Here's how to attend.
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Instructions
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Head for Jacksonville where the UF/UGA game is held at the end of October each year. Make hotel reservations early because most sell out well ahead of the event. You can also drive a recreational vehicle into town and join the thousands of RVers who fill up every available space near the stadium for the non-stop tailgate parties. See the Resource Section for hotels and motels in Jacksonville.
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Understand that the game between the Gators and the Bulldogs has been an annual event since 1915. Since 1933, the game has always been played on neutral ground in Jacksonville, 73 miles from Gainesville, Florida, the home of the Gators, and 342 miles from Athens, Georgia, the home of the Bulldogs. The fans' loyalties are easily recognized by their schools' colors, with Gator fans dressed in Blue and Orange and Bulldog fans wearing Red and Black. Regardless of how either team is doing during the rest of the season, this game always has the high drama of a championship contest.
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Realize tickets to the game are not easy to get unless you're a student, a well connected alumnus or a large donor to one of the schools. Tickets are evenly divided between the two schools each year. The best bet for last minute tickets, according to many fans, is to try Ebay before game day or look for scalpers or hungry students near the stadium who are willing to part with their tickets for inflated prices. There will be no empty seats in the stadium.
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Join the thousands of fans who throng Jacksonville Landing for tailgating, dining and entertainment throughout the weekend. See the Resource Section for more information. Though the rivalry is intense, the mood among the partygoers is usually friendly, as long as no one makes insulting remarks about either school or team.
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Tips & Warnings
Check some of the fan blogs for more information about the world's largest cocktail party. See the Resource Section.
Because of the questionable association between students and drinking, South East Conference officials have been discouraging the name, "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party," and officially call it the Florida-Georgia/Georgia-Florida game. The name alternates every other year to give each school equal billing.
