2023 UT Football Game Day & Tailgating Guide
GUIDE TO TEXAS LONGHORNS’ 2023 FOOTBALL GAME DAYS & TAILGATING
Hopdoddy is Austin born and raised: We keep it weird, we have opinions on breakfast tacos, and most of all, we root for our Horns. We want to do our part in building the local community by bringing more people to UT Austin football games. It can be intimidating, but just like our burgers, once you’ve experienced a game, you’ll be hooked!
“Come early, be loud, stay late, wear orange.” That’s the Longhorns’ slogan and a distillation of the fanbase’s passion. With Steve Sarkisian at the helm and a roster that we think could take us all the way, this is an exciting time to be a UT Football fan. But for freshmen, visitors, and general newcomers, Texas football can be pretty overwhelming. We’re here to break it down for anyone who wants to join the Longhorns family and experience the unbelievable atmosphere.
UT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE 2023
With the 2023 season almost upon us, let’s start at the beginning with the UT Longhorns football schedule for this year’s home games:
- Sep. 2: Rice
- Sep. 16: Wyoming
- Sep. 30: Kansas
- Oct. 28: BYU
- Nov. 4: Kansas State
- Nov. 24: Texas Tech
HOW TO GET TEXAS LONGHORNS FOOTBALL TICKETS
While season tickets are already sold out, UT football tickets for single home games go on sale on August 11. But you can purchase a Pick 3 Mini Plan right now through the Longhorns’ website. The Pick 3 includes tickets to any three UT home games. Texas Longhorns tickets sell out quickly, so make sure you get yours early!
UT AUSTIN TAILGATE PARTIES BEFORE THE GAME
The UT Austin football schedule 2023 is only the beginning. Now it’s time to plan your party spot—tailgating is arguably the most important part of game day. Prepare to rise before the sun because UT Austin parking garages and lots open at 7AM on Saturdays, and most fans are setting up the second the gates open. Parking swarms aside, if you have a plan, you’ll minimize the stress and maximize the good times. Some of our favorite tailgating spots to hang out at before kickoff include:
BEVO BOULEVARD
The first spot on really everyone’s list, Bevo Blvd. takes over a section of San Jacinto Blvd, from 20th St. to the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center. All are welcome: It’s a free party; no game tickets required. Get ready to:
- Experience the street parade and arrival of the UT mascot Bevo
- Greet the team before kickoff
- Soar down a 180-foot zipline
- Enjoy some of the best food trucks in Austin
- Play some games
LONGHORN CITY LIMITS
We are the Live Music Capital of the World for a reason, and Longhorn City Limits lives up to this name. It features live concerts on LBJ Lawn on gameday, along with Texas-themed cocktails, silent discos, a Ferris wheel, and carnival games. Like Bevo Boulevard, this is basically right next to the Texas Longhorns’ football stadium, so it’s a no-brainer detour before your head in for kickoff.
SCHOLZ GARTEN
While there are plenty of bars near UT Austin, none cater to the Longhorn spirit quite like Scholz Garten. Opening three hours before kickoff on home game days, Scholz Garten hosts the largest and longest-running tailgate in Texas. You get the usual good things here: live music, great food, tailgate fare, beer, and specialty cocktails. Doors open at 10AM on game day.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE GAME
You’re properly energized and loosened up from the tailgate party. Now, it’s time to head into the Texas Longhorns stadium and enjoy some pigskin. It’s pretty straightforward from there, but there are some little things you should know before you go. You don’t want to be the odd one out, so use this guide to get up to speed.
STAY COOL
Before we go into UT Austin traditions, chants, and mascots, one of the most important keys is to stay cool. We mean this in the “sunglasses, skateboards, and good vibes” way, but we also mean physically: Stay cool!
Bring a mini fan, put on gobs of sunscreen, wear a hat, and drink plenty of water. Most of the tailgating spots at UT aren’t on grass or in the shade, but try to find your way indoors or under a cooling station to avoid overheating.
HOOK ‘EM HORNS
If you’ve ever seen Longhorn football or been to Austin, you’ve seen this iconic hand gesture. The hand symbol consists of your pinky and index finger pointed up and out, while your thumb holds down your middle and ring finger.
Originally created by head cheerleader Harley Clark in 1955, this hand symbol is something you’ll see and do a lot on Saturdays. It appears on nearly all UT Austin merch, including shirts, hats, and bumper stickers. Horns up!
WEAR BURNT ORANGE & WHITE
If you’re not wearing burnt orange and white, what are you even doing here? Nothing will make you look more like an out-of-touch tourist than being the only person in a sea of 100,000 fans not wearing the Texas Longhorns’ colors. Nearly all UT Austin apparel has these colors and the Texas Longhorns logo emblazoned on it, so stock up when you can.
It might seem like a pretty boring color combination, but it’s rooted in real history. The legend goes that, in 1885, students stopped at a store to get ribbons for the crowd at a baseball game. The main colors in stock: orange and white. By 1900, they were officially adopted as the UT Austin colors.
The exact shade of orange has alternated between a brighter orange and the current burnt orange, which more closely resembles the color of a football.
TOUCHDOWNS WITH BEVO AT UT AUSTIN
Proudly marching into DKR Texas Memorial Stadium behind the band and cheerleaders, Bevo the Texas Longhorn steer is the legendary UT Austin mascot. His name comes from “beeve” (a plural form of “beef”) and an added “o” at the end for good measure.
Considering the cycle of life, there have been 15 different Bevos, meaning that Bevo XV is who you’ll see at games nowadays. He makes his entrance through a haze of smoke before every UT Austin game and watches from his pen behind the southern end zone. During the game, he eats and drinks, takes pictures with his adoring fans, and occasionally greets Texas players after touchdowns. A pretty cushy life for good ol’ Bevo!
BIG BERTHA & SMOKEY THE CANNON
Longhorns like to be loud. Yelling, hooting, hollering, it’s all fair game. But to dial up the decibels, meet Big Bertha, the world’s largest bass drum (500 pounds and 8 feet wide), which requires a team of five to operate.
And then there’s Smokey the Cannon, which sits in the southeast corner of the UT football stadium and was built in the 1950s. Smokey is, well, a cannon. To be specific Smokey’s current incarnation (Smokey III) is a replica Civil War artillery cannon that discharges four 10-gauge blank shotgun shells simultaneously. Smokey’s booms fire at kickoff, the end of each quarter, and the end of every Texas football game.
SING ALONG TO “TEXAS FIGHT!”
No one cares if you’re off-key, you’re always expected to sing “Texas Fight!” on game days. This official fight song is sung after touchdowns. If you don’t know the lyrics yet, commit these to memory: :
Texas Fight! (sung to a fast tempo version of Taps)
Texas Fight, Texas Fight, and it’s goodbye to A&M.
Texas Fight, Texas Fight, and we’ll put over one more win.
Texas Fight, Texas Fight, for it’s Texas that we love best.
(YELL) Give ’em hell! Give ’em hell! Go Horns go!
And it’s goodbye to all the rest!
(YELL)
Yea Orange! Yea White!
Yea Longhorns! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Texas Fight! Texas Fight! Yea Texas Fight!
Texas Fight! Texas Fight! Yea Texas Fight!
The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
All the livelong day.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
You cannot get away.
Texas Fight, Texas Fight,
For it’s Texas that we love best.
(YELL) Give ‘em hell! Give ’em hell! Go Horns go!
And it’s goodbye to all the rest!
POST-GAME CELEBRATING WITH HOPDODDY
Never fear, the celebrations don’t end when you leave the stadium. Some of the best restaurants near UT Austin keep the school pride and good food and drinks flowing. If you’re looking for food near UT Austin, Hopdoddy has you covered. Our location at the Triangle shopping center is just a few miles north of the UT Austin football stadium. If you want to go bar hopping around the famous 6th or Rainey Street, our Plaza Saltillo restaurant is right on 5th. We have cold drinks, delicious burgers, crispy fries, and good vibes for you to enjoy with friends and family after a big win, so stop by after a game this season!
