Game day in Baton Rouge is like no other, and a story of game day can be told in two parts, from tailgates to Tiger Stadium.
Once the sun comes up on Saturday morning, white tents fill the Parade Ground on LSU’s campus. Under those white tents, fraternities set up to host Tiger tailgates for the students and fans on campus. Other organizations and families also reserve spots around campus to join in on the fun.
Many people say it’s an experience like no other. For LSU’s home opener against Louisiana Tech this year, it wasn’t any different.
“Tailgating was so much fun and nothing like I’ve ever done,” sophomore biology major Emma Ebel said. “The environment was so amazing. Music was always playing, good food was made, and the vibes were always high.”
To add to the craziness that is a Baton Rouge game day, The Lorax even made an appearance on the Parade Ground.
A fan dressed up as The Lorax to make a TikTok, and she embodied the true chaos that is game day.
Another big part of tailgate is the community. You could be hanging out in your tailgating area and other people might come by giving out free food. It’s not uncommon to see.
Alexis Cassell, an out-of-state sophomore elementary education major, said that aspect of tailgating was the cherry on top for her. She also added that experiencing one of the biggest parts of LSU culture was everything she wanted it to be.
“For my first real tailgating experience, it was amazing to see everyone come together and help each other out,” Cassell said. “There were people that we had never met before and they just decided to come over and talk to us and help out when they could.”
Cassell said there were times when her tailgate needed things throughout the day, and their neighbors didn’t hesitate to lend a hand.
Once the first half of gameday came to an end, students found their way from tailgates to Tiger Stadium for the first kickoff in Death Valley this year.
With purple lights flashing throughout the stadium and thousands of seats full in the student section, the energy on Saturday night was rich with LSU tradition.
For some students, like senior liberal arts major Jaden Frew, that tradition was embraced with teary eyes once she realized that it was the start of her last football season as a student.
“It’s bittersweet because I love Tiger Stadium and I love everything that we do here,” Frew said. “But I’m sad because I know next year if I come back, I won’t be a student anymore and it’s going to feel different.”
Frew also shared that her favorite part of being back in Death Valley was singing along to the classic LSU tune, “Callin’ Baton Rouge.”
“I don’t know what it is about it, but something overcomes me when that song comes on,” she said.
Frew cheered on the Tigers until the middle of the fourth quarter and left Death Valley feeling sentimental about her last first game day as a student, thinking about what her last game might look like.
To be the icing on the cake of the first game day, the Bayou Bengals took home the victory over LA Tech.
All of the energy that built up from the moment campus filled with fans was let out after the clock hit zero in the stadium — but the craziness didn’t end just because the game did. Fans were buzzing all the way back to their vehicles in large crowds of purple and gold.
It might not have been a huge rivalry in the SEC, but the fans showed up to support like it was any other, and that is what makes game day in Baton Rouge so special.
