BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- With clear skies and a big crowd expected on Saturday, WKU Athletics has announced game day plans, essential times and activities surrounding a visit for the Vanderbilt Commodores with a 3:30 p.m. CT kick off from Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.
Due to the expected crowd, gates to Houchens-Smith Stadium will open TWO HOURS prior to kick off instead of the normal 90 minutes to help fans get to their seats. Fans are asked to wear RED for the Red Out.
The first 5,000 fans into the stadium on Saturday will receive a WKU Athletics red towel while the first 1,000 students will receive a commemorative Red Out t-shirt.
The WKU Ticket Office remains open Monday through Friday with extended hours, from 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. for fans looking to buy season and single-game tickets. Season tickets begin at just $80 per person. As of Wednesday morning, fewer than 3,200 tickets remained for the game.
New for 2016 is the "Stewart Richey Fan Experience Center," located at the 50-yard line of the east concourse. Fans with game day questions can head to this location to get all the answers to their in-stadium questions.
Game Day Activities:
GigaPixel Panorama | Fans are encouraged to be in their seat by kick off as an ultra-high resolution, 360° fan photo will be taken early in the game. Fans should dress in the best Hilltopper Red show up at or before game time to ensure they're in the photo.
The interactive photo - powered by Blakeway Worldwide Panoramas - will allow fans to find and tag themselves, share the views with friends, enter to win cool prizes, and celebrate the day in incredible detail. The image will be billions of pixels in size (yes, that's billion with a "b").
Sign up to be notified when it's ready to view by clicking HERE.
Zaxby's Tailgate Experience | The Zaxby's Tailgate Experience arrives on South Lawn for game day for a unique tailgating adventure. WKU has been chosen as one of only twelve schools to serve as the premium tour stop destination for Zaxby's, and this setup will include an interactive virtual reality experience, in addition to a fun body painting experience!
Zaxby's will also be distributing 1,500 rally towels and koozies at the local Zaxby's and during the tailgating event.
Parking:
For Saturday's game, lots surrounding Diddle Arena (Diddle North, Diddle South, Diddle West), Smith Stadium (South Lawn Lot, Avenue of Champions, Smith West Lot), College Heights Blvd. Lot, and PS1 Floors 1-3 will be reserved for event parking beginning at 6AM Saturday morning. All lots must be cleared by 7AM.
Avenue of Champions closes to through-traffic at 11:30 a.m., and event shuttle service begins at 1:30 p.m. People still parked in Hilltopper Athletic Foundation reserved spots will be towed beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday morning. Once Avenue of Champions closes to through-traffic for game day, all parking access for Lot 3, Lot 4, South Lawn and Avenue of Champions is accessed via University Boulevard from College Heights Boulevard.
Free parking is available at the Kentucky Street, Creason Street and University Boulevard lots with shuttle service beginning at 1 p.m., and are part of over 3,000 free paved parking spaces available throughout campus for fans attending the game.
HAF members are encouraged to display their parking permit prior to arrival to expedite the parking process.
For more information and traffic maps, visit WKUSports.com. For season parking permit information, contact the HAF at (270) 745-5321 or visit supporthaf.org.
Tailgating and Picnicking:
Tailgating for Saturday's game begins at 7 a.m.
Tailgating is allowed in all non-reserved parking lots and in designated grassy areas. Fans may utilize other grass and lawn areas throughout campus to picnic and for other non-tailgating activities. All areas will be closed 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Pop-up tents, grills and coolers are permissible, and loading and unloading zones are located throughout campus and available on a temporary basis for those wishing to unload items on the lawns where parking is not permitted.
The grass on the South Lawn is available for picnicking this season, with fans able to utilize the grass on game day as space allows.
WKU Athletics reserves the right to close grass tailgating areas due to inclement weather.
Ticketing:
Ticket booths at the stadium will open at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The Ticket Office at E.A. Diddle Arena will be open Saturday morning at 8 a.m. until sales shift to the stadium.
Gates at the stadium will open TWO HOURS minutes prior to kickoff, and doors to the Jack and Jackie Harbaugh Club will open two hours prior to the game. Gates 1, 3, 5 and 6 are used for general public entry and sales, and Gate 4 is the student entrance with Gate 3 used for student guest entry. Also located at Gate 5 is W-Club will call and sales, general public will call, cheerleading and dance pass list, recruit pass list for sports other than football, football player and coach pass list.
For tickets, contact the WKU Ticket Office at 1-800-5-BIG RED or 745-5222 or visit the office in E.A. Diddle Arena. Tickets can be purchased 24 hours a day at WKUTickets.com.
Family Fun:
Returning to The Hill this fall is "TopperTown," a kids play area featuring inflatables, balloon artistry, face painting and games for kids of all ages. TopperTown opens three hours prior to kickoff and is free for the entire family, and it is located in front of PS2 on the campus side, directly across Avenue of Champions from the Downing Student Union.
Fans can experience TopperWalk and cheer on the entire WKU Football team and Coach Brohm as they enter the stadium two hours and fifteen minutes prior to kickoff. TopperWalk starts on Avenue of Champions in front of PS1 across from the Downing Student Union, where the team buses will drop off the players and coaches so they can walk by fans and along with the WKU Cheerleaders, Topperettes, Big Red Marching Band and Big Red into the stadium.
Promotions and giveaways for the 2016 season can be accessed in the Fan Zone at WKUSports.com and are continually updated.
Opening Act at Augenstein Alumni Center:
For the fourth-straight season, the WKU Alumni Association will host Opening Act on game days, sponsored by US Bank, at the Augenstein Alumni Center at 292 Alumni Avenue. The building will be open to the public two-and-a-half hours prior to kickoff and will close 30 minutes before kickoff. All alumni and fans are invited to tailgate on the lawn and enjoy the facility. Due to the event, Alumni Ave., which runs in front of the Alumni Center, will close from 1 to 3 p.m.
Food and beverages are available for purchase at the Satterthwaite Atrium Bar located inside the Augenstein Alumni Center.
For more information, please contact the WKU Alumni Association at (270) 745-4395 or alumnievents@wku.edu. Visit alumni.wku.edu for more details.
WKU Gameday App:
WKU Athletics joined forces with IMG and SportsLabs to develop the WKU Gameday App to keep Hilltopper fans connected to the action while at the game or watching from home. The WKU Gameday App is packed with robust social, on-campus and stadium features that enhance the gameday experience by delivering:
• Free live game audio
• Real-time Instagram and Twitter feeds from the team and fans
• The official game-day guide with key times, events and need-to-know information including stadium maps and parking to plan the day
• Enhanced location-aware maps for fans attending both home and away games
• Live conference and Top 25 scores and real-time stats
• Opt-in alerts for weather updates, pre-game events, play-by-play information and more
WKU's Gameday App can be found as a free download in both the Apple iTunes and Google Play stores by searching "WKU Gameday."
