FOOTBALL

Heading to the Florida football spring game? Here's what you need to know

Dan Rorabaugh
Gator Sports

It's time once again for the Florida spring football game!

The format of the intrasquad exhibition game changed last year when Billy Napier took over as Gators head coach. The game moved to Thursday night and returned to the standard football game format.

This year's Orange and Blue Game will be fans' first chance to see the 2023-24 football team. Fans will get their first taste of the upcoming football season with the traditions, the food and, of course, the football before the home opener Sept. 9.

Here's everything you need to know about the spring game, from the pregame festivities to the giveaways to expect at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium:

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When is the Florida spring game?

The Orange and Blue Game begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. Those who can't make it to the stadium can watch the action on ESPN+.

What will the Orange and Blue Game look like?

The Gators broke off into two squads and practiced separately for the last week of camp, and those two teams will face each other in the Orange and Blue game. They will even use both the home and visitor locker rooms to replicate the feeling of a regular-season game.

The game will be played in four 15-minute quarters. There will be a running clock except for the final four minutes of each quarter. The clock also will stop for penalties, changes of possession and scores.

How much is Florida Gators spring game admission?

The spring game is free! Gates open at 6 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. start time.

Gates 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 15 and 18 will be open for fans. Free general admission seating will be in the west and east stands, as well as the lower north and south end zones. Students should enter the stadium via gates 12 and 15. 

Parking for Florida spring football game

All non-reserved parking on campus, including Flavet Field, Lots 114 and 109 and the Stephen C. O'Connell Center garage, will be available starting at 3:30 p.m. Parking on the grass and sidewalks is not permitted.

Free shuttles from Parking Garage 109, at Archer Road and Gale Lemerand Drive, begin at 5:30 p.m. The shuttles will run until about 60 minutes after the game ends. The shuttle dropoff and pickup location is on Stadium Road and Gale Lemerand Drive, near UF Gator Dining.

For more details, see the map.

Note: The following roads will be closed from 5:30 p.m. through about 60 minutes after the end of the game:

  • Lemerand Drive between University Avenue and Stadium Road
  • Stadium Road between Gale Lemerand Drive and Buckman Drive

Will there be a Gator Walk at the Orange and Blue Game?

There sure will! Players will arrive at the north side of the stadium for their traditional entrance beginning at 5 p.m.

The Gators typically participate in Gator Walk prior to each home game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, giving fans — as well as the families of many UF players — a chance to cheer on Florida prior to the competition commencing. 

What other events will take place for the Orange and Blue Game?

Gators Fan Fest begins at 4:30 p.m. Admission is free for the event on the North Lawn along University Avenue just outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Fan activities will include games, contests, giveaways, interactive displays and more.

All the usual in-game traditions will take place, too. "Mr. Two Bits" will be Lauren McMasters, UF student body president. Between the third and fourth quarter, fans will sing "I Won't Back Down," which began in 2019 as a tribute to Gainesville native Tom Petty after the musician's death. Fans can download the Gators Mobile App and join the Gator Lights Show during the song.

Fans will get plenty of chances to win prizes, too. All fans in attendance will receive one free entry into the Gators 50/50 raffle, with the ability to purchase additional raffle tickets. All 50/50 raffle tickets can be purchased at Gators5050.com. All fans who claim their 50/50 ticket will also be entered to win prizes such as two 2023 Florida football season tickets, a throwback Florida football helmet, four single-day passes to Busch Gardens, a James Bates three-piece art set and more. One lucky fan in attendance will win a new 2023 John Deere XUV560E Crossover Utility Gator.

Prize winners will be announced throughout the game and fans must be present at the Orange and Blue Game to win. Prizes can be claimed at the marketing table on the North Endzone Concourse.

What isn't allowed in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for football games

  • Outside food or drink (including alcoholic beverages)
  • Artificial Noise Makers
  • Backpacks
  • Cameras with extendable lenses larger than six inches
  • Personal seatbacks
  • Flags
  • Ice chests or bags
  • Bags not compliant with the clear bag policy 
  • Strollers
  • Tobacco products (including e-cigarettes, vapor pens, and chewing tobacco)
  • Umbrellas
  • Video cameras/cases
  • Weapons

What can I bring to a Gators football game?

Fans are permitted one commercially branded (Aquafina) empty plastic water bottles, no larger than 20 ounces, inside the stadium. 

Binoculars, phones, cameras, and tablets can be carried into the stadium as long as those items are not in their own bags/cases that don't comply with clear bag policy. 

Under the UAA clear bag policy, approved bags are: 

  • Clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags that do not exceed 12"x6"x12" 
  • One-gallon clear, resealable plastic storage bag
  • Small clutch bags no larger than 4.5"x6.5", approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap
  • Medically necessary items (after proper inspection)
  • Prohibited bags include, but are not limited to purses, backpacks, cinch/drawstring bags, briefcases, coolers, fanny packs, luggage of any kind, computer bags, camera bags, binocular cases and any bag larger than the permissible size.

See more on the clear bag policy here.