2015 Football Tickets | Stadium Guide
Fighting Illini Athletics is pleased to announce several changes to make Fighting Illini football gamedays at Memorial Stadium more engaging for all Fighting Illini fans.
Grange Grove
More Information
As many fans have already noticed, the west side of Memorial Stadium is now home to the new tailgating area named after famous Illini Harold 'Red' Grange. The Grange Grove area will be open to the public on all Fighting Illini Football gamedays starting at 7 am and follow the standard street closure policies. Programming in the area, including live music and children's areas, will start approximately three hours before kickoff.
TAILGATING IN GRANGE GROVE
There will be space for fans to set up their own tailgate on a first-come, first-serve basis - fans can come to Grange Grove the day before a game between 5 and 7pm to drop off some of their materials to reserve a spot for the next day or wait until 7am on gameday to claim their space, as it is available.
University of Illinois students are able to reserve a Student Tailgate spot in Grange Grove, presented by ONE Illinois, by filling out the online form. There is no cost to reserve a student tailgate space.
Fans and students can take advantage of Illinois' partnership with Tailgater Concierge to purchase individual tailgate packages that include tents, tables, chairs, and many other tailgate essentials. These packages can be delivered directly to Memorial Stadium, allowing fans to arrive at Grange Grove and enjoy their experience without the hassle of setup. For more information or to purchase your package now, visit tailgaterconcierge.com.
For pricing and information about group hospitality tailgates, please call the Fighting Illini group sales department at (217) 244-3212.
FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES
In addition to different tailgate options, fans will also be able to enjoy a family fun zone with inflatables, face painting, and activities for kids, including a football toss. No ticket will be required to enter Grange Grove, so fans parked in other tailgate lots may freely enter and exit.
There will also be a variety of local food truck and vendors located on First Street (between Kirby and Irwin) for Fighting Illini fans to indulge in.
Fighting Illini Walk
Along with the changes inside Grange Grove, fans can also anticipate a change in the route of the Fighting Illini Walk for 2015. Two and half hours before kickoff, the Fighting Illini Football team will be joined by the Marching Illini, Fighting Illini Cheerleading squad, and the Illinettes through Grange Grove from First Street up to Memorial Stadium.
The football team will exit the buses in the middle of First Street, allowing Fighting Illini fans to line the brick pathway through Grange Grove and cheer the team on as they make their way into the stadium.
Pregame Festivities
As an exciting new addition to celebrate gameday, skydivers from Team Fastrax will land on the field at Memorial Stadium before kickoff of the home opener on Friday, September 4 (weather permitting). Fans will also notice that the team will revert to its traditional entrance onto the field with the Marching Illini leading them through the tunnel in their 2015 debut.
Fighting Illini fans are encouraged to be in their seats 30 minutes before kickoff to see all pregame activities, including these new enhancements.
In-Game Engagement
The Fighting Illini Department of Athletics has partnered with Spectra Ticketing and Spredfast to more fully integrate user-generated social media content into the gameday experience. Fighting Illini fans will have the chance to see their social media posts on Twitter and Instagram shown on the videoboard before and during all home football games.
Fans are encouraged to post their gameday pictures to Twitter and Instagram using #Illini for the chance to be seen on screen at Memorial Stadium each week.
For all updates on social media during gamedays, be sure to follow @IlliniFootball (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and @IlliniAthletics (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Fans who are on Snapchat can also follow @IlliniAthletics to see an interactive story of each Fighting Illini Football gameday.
Tickets to all Fighting Illini Football games can be purchased by visiting our tickets website here or by calling 1-866-ILLINI-1.
