Ole Miss Football is officially heading to New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and with them will come thousands of their supporters. The city will be buzzing, with Hotty Toddys echoing across Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, the Caesars Superdome and everywhere in between.
The team will touch down in New Orleans on Sunday, Dec. 26, and the days following will be nothing short of a grand celebration of UM and its fans. Rooms have already sold out at the Alumni Association’s official hotels, including the Sheraton New Orleans, the Hyatt Regency New Orleans and Doubletree By Hilton, but Ole Miss fans should still be able to snag rooms across the city.
“We’re certainly friend-raisers,” said Kirk Purdam, CEO of the Ole Miss Alumni Association. Purdam is thrilled to be hosting these events for all UM alumni and supporters, and thinks “this turnout is going to be even bigger than 2016.”
The first official big event will be the Sugar Bowl’s New Year’s Eve Parade — “a Mardi Gras-style parade with floats, bands and other participants” at 2:45 p.m. on Dec. 31. The parade will pass through the French Quarter, passing by Cafe du Monde, Jackson Square and the Mississippi River, hosting floats celebrating New Orleans, the Sugar Bowl and the university. While spots last, you can ride in a float for about $580 per person, throwing Allstate Sugar Bowl Parade beads to the massive crowds of fans and New Orleans natives along the way.
That night, Rebel fans can ring in the new year at one of the many venues around New Orleans, or alongside fellow Ole Miss fans at the Alumni Association’s New Year’s Eve Bowl Bash, presented by Rebel Rags. Fans can pay $40 if registered by Dec. 28 or $50 at the door, pending availability, to bid 2021 adieu and celebrate the upcoming Landshark victory.
“People are really excited about the Sugar Bowl because it’s the first time they’ve been able to go to a bowl game. (The Outback Bowl) was only 25% occupancy, and we hadn’t been to a bowl for four years prior to that,” Purdam said.
After a long night of celebration, Rebel fans can have a late morning before attending the Sugar Bowl’s Tailgate Town at Champions Square at 4:00 p.m. or the official Ole Miss Pregame in the Big Easy at the Caesars Superdome at 5:00 p.m. Tailgate Town will feature the Ole Miss Cheerleaders and UM’s famous Pride of the South Band alongside food, games and other entertainment. For a more luxurious experience, Ole Miss supporters can spend $95 for an advance ticket or $120 at the door, if available, alongside their Sugar Bowl ticket to attend the Alumni Association’s pregame in the VIP Claiborne Club inside the Caesars Superdome. The Ole Miss Pregame in the Big Easy will feature an extensive menu and open bar before the Rebels take on the Baylor Bears.
According to Paris Buchanan, the Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing and Fan Experience, there are “more [events] being worked on as we speak,” that will later be found on Ole Miss Athletics’ Bowl Central.
The ultimate event, however, is the Allstate Sugar Bowl, which kicks off at 7:45 p.m. in the Superdome. Ole Miss will have a dominant presence in the stands, with Ole Miss Athletics’ ticket allotment completely sold out according to Buchanan. “Based on the number of tickets we have sold through our ticket office these last two weeks, we are expecting to call the Caesars Superdome ‘Vaught Hemingway South.’”
For entry to the game, in addition to a ticket, all attendees must have proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test from a healthcare provider within 72 hours of entry. More information for COVID-19 precautions across the city can be found on New Orleans’s COVID Safety Plan website.
