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Football Game Day: What Fans Need to Know

While “THE PATCH” Parade of Champions will be a new experience for fans, most of the game day policies and procedures this year will be familiar.

Most of the campus will open at noon for Saturday’s game and all other weekend home games starting at 6 p.m. or later. Some of the parking lots closest to the stadium will open at 8 a.m. The open container waiver for alcohol will be in effect in all tailgating areas from noon until kickoff for fans 21 and older.

These policies are the same as last season.

Golden Knights Club (GKC) donors have reserved parking options in the Gold Zone parking areas. Most of the remaining parking areas on campus will remain free. New this season, fans can pay $20 (cash) per vehicle to park in the new Garage H, located next to the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center and Memory Mall. Proceeds will support student scholarships.

“THE PATCH” Parade of Champions will start at 3:15 p.m. on Greek Park Drive and move along Gemini Boulevard, past the UCF Arena, on the way to the stadium. Fans then will form a tunnel outside the stadium to renew the “Knight Walk” tradition of welcoming the football coaches and players as they exit their buses and walk to their locker room.

To accommodate the parade, the Gemini Boulevard North entrance to campus off of Alafaya Trail will be closed starting at 3:15 p.m. for about an hour. Greek Park Drive will be closed in both directions from 3:15 until all parade units have cleared the street. And Aquarius Agora Drive, where units will gather and set up before the parade, will be closed from 1 p.m. until about 3:30 p.m.

Campus entrances at University and Central Florida boulevards and Libra and Centaurus drives will remain open to all traffic throughout the parade. The North Orion Boulevard entrance will be open to all traffic until 4 p.m., after which only fans with Gold Zone parking passes or valid disabled parking permits will be able to access the campus via that entrance.

The parade will honor the Knights’ 2010-11 conference championship teams: football, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s basketball, women’s soccer and men’s golf.

Participants also will include Mardi Gras floats from the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa; the Marching Knights and various high school bands; the UCF cheerleaders, dance team and mascot Knightro; the Central Florida Shriners; and championship Pop Warner teams from throughout Central Florida.

Great Seats Available: Tickets for the Charleston Southern game can still be purchased by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at 407-823-1000 or going to http://ucfknights.com/ [1]. Students can purchase season tickets prior to the start of the Charleston Southern game or visit the Student Ticket Registration website prior to each home game.

Game Day Fan Help Desk: Fans with questions about game days can call 407-882-FANS (3267) beginning at 8 a.m. on game days.

Game Day Text Message Help: Beginning two hours before each game, fans can send a text message to “69050” and type “UCF” followed by a brief description of the issue and its location in the stadium. Ushers, public safety or first-aid personnel, or other event staff will respond as needed.

When Can I Arrive and Begin Tailgating on Sept. 3? The Softball Lots (E3 through E5), Lots E6 and E7, the Baseball Lot will open for parking and tailgating at 8 a.m. Garage F will open only for parking at 8 a.m. (tailgating is prohibited in all parking garages). All other campus parking lots will open at noon.

For all campus tailgating areas, the open container waiver (alcohol consumption) will go into effect at noon and end at game start (7 p.m.) Anyone possessing or consuming alcohol must be prepared to show proof that he or she is 21 or older. Glass containers, kegs and beer funnels are not allowed on campus, and animals, except for service animals, are not allowed on campus on game days.

Bright House Networks Stadium gates will open to fans at 5:30 p.m. Campus parking lots will close two hours after the game, or midnight, whichever comes first.

Where Do I Park? Parking policies are virtually the same as they were last year. Parking is divided into three zones — Gold, Red and Blue. The Gold Zone, closest to Bright House Networks Stadium, requires a reserved game day parking permit and is only for members of the Golden Knights Club, credentialed media, stadium operations personnel and patrons with disabilities.

Any vehicle parked in the Gold Zone that does not meet the above criteria is subject to towing as early as 5 a.m. Saturday. The Gold Zone includes surface parking lots C 1-2, D 1-2 and E 1-8, as well as parking garages C, D and F. This does not apply to Towers residents who have reserved parking spaces in Garages E and G. They are allowed to remain in their reserved spaces. Parking also is prohibited on East Plaza Drive on game days.

Almost all parking in the Red Zone and Blue Zone is free and open to everyone. The first two levels of Garage B, located across from the Recreation and Wellness Center, are reserved for official university business. Towing on the first two levels of Garage B also will begin as early as 5 a.m. Saturday.

The new Garage H near the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center will be reserved for authorized students displaying Student Government Association-provided parking passes and cash-paying customers ($20). Proceeds will support student scholarships.

Parking for fans with disabilities is available on the first floor of Garage D across from the UCF Arena. A free shuttle for patrons with disabilities will be provided from Garage D to Bright House Networks Stadium (Gate 13) from 3 p.m. until two hours after the game ends.

Parking is not allowed along any campus roadways, in residential housing parking lots or garages, or on any open grassy areas throughout campus (except for designated E-lots).

Getting to the Stadium: Traffic patterns before and after games are virtually the same as in 2010. Preferred routes to campus for each of the three parking zones and campus road closures that occur on game days are listed at www.UCFGameday.com.

One change is that the North Gemini Boulevard entrance off of Alafaya Trail will be open to all fans on game days. That entrance will be closed from about 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. Sept. 3 to accommodate the parade.

Free Student Shuttles: UCF will operate free shuttles for students to and from several nearby apartment complexes from 2 p.m. until two hours after the game ends. The on-campus shuttle routes (Black and Gold routes) will not be operating on game days.

Free Park-n-Ride: Fans are invited to park at off-site parking lots conveniently located in the Research Park. Free UCF Shuttles will continuously transport passengers from the Orlando Tech Center in the Research Park to the on-campus Health & Public Affairs stop at Lot C1. Game day service will be available from 4 p.m. until two hours after the game ends.

Courtesy Tram: Courtesy tram services for guests needing assistance to the ADA Shuttle Bus pick-up/drop-off point located at Garage D will be offered on a limited, trial basis during the fall 2011 football season. This courtesy tram will operate around Apollo Circle with passenger pick-up/drop-off at designated locations only. The ADA Shuttle Bus will provide further transportation to Bright House Networks Stadium (Gate 13) for those patrons with disabilities desiring to use this free service.

Protect Yourself From the Heat: Fans should drink plenty of water or sports drinks, and limit alcohol consumption, to ensure they are replacing essential fluids lost due to the heat. Consider wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 15 to 30 or higher, a hat and loose-fitting clothes. First-aid stations are located on the main concourse near gates 10 and 18 inside the stadium, and the American Red Cross will have two aid stations on Memory Mall

UCF Alumni Association Pregame Party: Fans can chow down and watch NCAA football games inside the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center from 4 to 6 p.m. Admission is free for fans with UCF Alumni membership cards and their guests..

Have a safe, fun game day on campus! Go Knights!