Whether you’ll be attending your first Knights game or have been a longtime season ticket holder, this game day guide will provide important information you should know before arriving to the Bounce House and help you live your best fan life.
Should you still have questions after reading this article, please refer to UCF Athletics’ A to Z guide, which has the most up-to-date information regarding the football season.
Space Game Campus Closure | COVID policies | Tickets | Stadium Policies | Parking and Shuttles | Game Day Safety | Tailgating | Game Day Traditions | Watch Parties | Social Media | Game Day Gear | Donate
Space Game Campus Closure
Memphis | Friday, Oct. 22 | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
UCF hosts two weekday games this season: Boise State on Thursday, Sept. 2. and Memphis on Friday, Oct. 22. Both games kick off at 7 p.m.
On those days, classes on the main campus, in the Central Florida Research Park, at UCF Downtown, at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management and on UCF Connect campuses will conclude at 2 p.m. Offices at those locations also will close for normal operations at 2 p.m.
- Faculty who teach classes that start before 2 p.m. but end after that time will have the option to hold the portion of those classes that comes before 2 p.m.
- Some staff members may be required to work past the time when the university closes. In those cases, employees can speak with their supervisors about how their areas will handle operations after 2 p.m.
- UCF will re-open for normal business operations, including regular class and activity schedules, at 6 a.m. Friday, Sept. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 23. Staff members whose regular work hours begin prior to 6 a.m. should consult their supervisors about starting times.
Saturday classes will be held as scheduled on all of UCF’s campuses on game days.
COVID policies
We’re excited to welcome our fans back to UCF. We expect all of our fans to do their part to help us complete a successful 2021 season. That means taking precautions to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect those around you as well as our student-athletes and coaches.
We strongly encourage all of our fans to get vaccinated if you are able to do so, and we strongly recommend that all of our fans wear masks while indoors, in line with the latest CDC guidelines. Although most of our stadium is outdoors, please keep in mind that some areas, such as rest rooms, are indoors.
Masks will be available at locations inside the stadium for fans who need them.
We encourage you to wash your hands frequently, and there will be hand-sanitizer stations available throughout the stadium.
If you have COVID-19, are not feeling well or are in quarantine, please stay home and do not come to the game. You can easily transfer your tickets to friends or family online, or post your tickets for resale through your UCF Account Manager.
Tickets
All season tickets, group tickets, and single-game tickets are available digitally through the UCF Gameday app or your phone’s web browser.
Visit UCFKnights.com/app for more information and answers to some of the most frequently asked ticket-related questions. The app has been updated with a new user-friendly option to access your tickets well before you arrive at your gate.
Season tickets are very close to selling out. Fans interested in still purchasing from the minimal inventory can call 407-823-1000. UCF faculty and staff are eligible to receive 20% off football season tickets (applies to ticket portion only). If any single-game tickets are available, they can be purchased at ucfknights.com/tickets.
Admission to home games is free for UCF students, but mobile tickets must be claimed through the official UCF Gameday app prior to game day. The app is available for free on both Apple and android devices. Claiming a free student mobile ticket does not guarantee entry as admission is first come, first served.
Once you arrive at the gate, you must have your phone in order to scan the ticket barcode, *AND* you must show your student ID for entry into the stadium.
For more information, including FAQs about student tickets, please visit the Student Tix Mobile Claim Guide.
Limited student guest passes can also be purchased for $28 through the app.
Know Your Gate Entry
It is important to know your gate before entering the Bounce House. The appropriate gate is listed on your game ticket. Fans can also locate their gate, which is broken down by stadium section, listed in the graphic above.
Note: Gate 15 no longer exists as a point of entry due to the new Garvy Center for Student-Athlete Nutrition.
Clear Bag Policy
To provide a safer environment and more expedited entry for fans, UCF abides by a clear bag policy that limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into all sporting events at the Bounce House. It is strongly recommended you familiarize yourself with the policy if you plan on attending a game to learn what is and is not permitted inside the stadium.
Parking and Shuttles
Fans who drive to campus on game days can park in a variety of garages and lots. While some garages and lots – in the Gold Zone – require permits, fans can park for free in most areas of campus.
Important note about tailgating: Tailgating is not permitted in any parking garage. In parking lots, tailgating shall be confined to the area immediately behind your vehicle and shall not impede traffic flow or parking spaces for other vehicles.
Preferred parking lots and garages are located in the northeast sector of campus and are closest to the Bounce House. Gold Zone lots require a valid football game-day parking permit, or an ADA permit for fans with disabilities parking in designated spaces. Permits must be properly displayed at all times from the rearview mirror. All permits are limited to one parking space.
Preferred routing to Gold Zone parking (from the south) is via Libra Drive/Gemini Boulevard East and (from the north or west) via McCulloch Road/North Orion Boulevard.
Fans without permits who wish to park closer to the stadium can park in Garage H for $20. Payments can be made with cash or credit card. Donations support scholarships for UCF students.
Garage H, located near the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center, also accommodates vehicles for authorized students displaying Student Government-provided parking passes and credentialed staff with permits for that garage.
Free parking is available for fans on a first-come, first-served basis in most other lots and garages on campus.
Exceptions include all residential lots and the Libra Garage on Libra Drive, which are reserved at all times for students living on campus.
Parking lot B4, located at the intersection of Central Florida Boulevard and Gemini Boulevard South, is reserved for official university business.
Parking is only authorized in designated parking lots and garages. Patrons who illegally park on or along any campus roadways or in other non-designated parking areas are subject to towing and fines.
No vehicular traffic or parking are authorized on East Plaza Drive on game days until two hours following the end of the game (or when authorized by UCF Police). Patrons who violate this restriction are subject to towing and fines.
Parking for guests with disabilities is available on the first level of Garage C with a valid accessible (disabled permits or a Disabled Veteran license plate) on a first-come, first-served basis. The individual who was issued the permit must be with the vehicle. Garage C is located at the intersection of North Orion Boulevard and Scorpius Street.
A free shuttle for patrons with disabilities and fans who accompany them will be provided from the bus stop adjacent to Garage C to the Bounce House (Gate 14). Those shuttles will run from four hours prior to kickoff until two hours after kickoff. Throughout the game and postgame, shuttles will be available, picking up from Gate 14, to return patrons with disabilities to Garage C.
Additional accessible parking spaces are available throughout the campus, and these spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis to any guest with a disability who displays an authorized accessible (disabled) permit or Disabled Veteran license plate. However, no direct shuttle service will be available for these spaces.
Gemini Boulevard North (from Parking Garage H to North Orion Boulevard) will be closed to all traffic from two hours prior to kickoff until the game starts. Once the game starts until midway through the 4th quarter, this road will be open to all traffic. This road will again be closed to all traffic from midway through the 4th quarter until two hours following the end of the game (or as required).
Beginning 1 hour and 30 minutes after kickoff, all North Orion Boulevard lanes will be dedicated to traffic exiting campus. No traffic will be able to enter campus via North Orion Boulevard.
Gemini Boulevard North between East Plaza and West Plaza drives will be closed to vehicular traffic prior to and during tailgating each game day. Memory Mall tailgaters who wish to drop off their tailgating gear in that area can do so by the barricades on either side. The road will be reopened at the discretion of law enforcement following the conclusion of tailgating.
Fans can avoid game-day traffic by parking at Research Pavilion and catching a Park and Ride shuttle. Fans may park at the Research Pavilion building, located at 12424 Research Parkway in the Central Florida Research Park adjacent to campus, and be transported to the Research 1 Transit drop-off, adjacent to Garage C near Memory Mall. The shuttles start four hours before kickoff and end two hours after the game ends.
Most student shuttle routes connecting the main campus and nearby apartment complexes will run throughout the day. Game day shuttle service will conclude two hours after the game ends. Game day routes include all normally serviced apartment complexes with the exception of Northview, Tivoli and Northgate due to their close proximity to the stadium. Service to those communities will end at 3 p.m.
Rosen College students can ride 3 or 5 p.m. shuttles to the main campus for game day. Downtown students can ride 3:30, 4:30 or 5 p.m. shuttles to the main campus. Shuttles will return to both campuses four hours after kickoff. In addition, routes departing the main campus for Rosen at 3:45 and for downtown at 3:30 p.m. will continue.
A valid UCF ID is required to access shuttles.
Game Day Safety
Protecting campus is the UCF Police Department’s top priority, so if you see activity that looks suspicious, say something. UCFPD can be reached 24/7 by calling 407-823-5555 or 911 in an emergency.
And remember to stay hydrated. Four Water Monster stations will be located inside the stadium around each of the four corners of the lower level concourse to provide fans with complimentary ice water.
Tailgating
Campus parking lots open at the following times on game days:
- 8 a.m. for all Saturday games and the USF game on Friday, Nov. 26
- 2 p.m. for the Boise State game on Thursday, Sept. 2, and the Memphis game on Friday, Oct. 22
- Six hours before kickoff, but no earlier than 8 a.m., for all Saturday games and the USF game on Friday, Nov. 26.
- 3:30 p.m. for the Boise State game on Thursday, Sept. 2, and the Memphis game on Friday, Oct. 22
All tailgating spaces on Memory Mall once again will be reserved for UCF students and alumni. Reservations for each home game will open at 6 p.m. on the Sunday evening before the game.For more information, please visit Knights on the Mall or follow Knights on the Mall on Instagram. You can also like the Knights on the Mall Facebook page for the most recent updates. Gemini Boulevard North between East Plaza and West Plaza drives will be closed to vehicular traffic prior to and during tailgating each game day. Memory Mall tailgaters who wish to drop off their tailgating gear in that area can do so by the barricades on either side. The road will be reopened at the discretion of law enforcement following the conclusion of tailgating.
Alumni (and their guests) have access to a FREE tailgate at the UCF FAIRWINDS Alumni Center. All you need is a valid ID/driver’s license. In order to accommodate our guests and promote best health practices during this time, at least the first two tailgates (Sept. 2 and Sept. 11) will be held outside on the front lawn and alumni parking lot. Tailgates begin three hours before kickoff and 4 Rivers barbecue is available for purchase. More details will be available soon.
UCF Alumni will also be hosting two road game ChargeOn Tailgates this season at Louisville and Navy. The tailgates include a catered buffet, open bar, spirit swag and special appearances from UCF fan favorites. Admission is $45 for adults and $25 for children under 12. To learn more about our UCF ChargeOn Tailgate events, visit ucfalumni.com/ChargeOnTailgate.
And if you’re looking for suggestions on how to throw the best tailgate party, you’ll want to read this guide highlighted in Pegasus magazine that features advice from some UCF experts.
Game Day Traditions
- #UCFansWear encourages fans to coordinate their colors, beginning with black for the first home game Sept. 2. Check Twitter (@UCF_Football) for a complete list and for reminders each game week for the wardrobe choice.
- Knight Walk through IOA Plaza (starts two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff). Greet the student-athletes and coaches as they arrive on campus and make their way into the stadium.
- The UCF Tailgate Concert Series is back this season on IOA Plaza. More details coming soon.
- March to Victory (90 minutes before kickoff) — join Pegasus, Knugget, Knightro, the Marching Knights and the UCF spirit teams near Knights Plaza, on the corner of Gemini and East Plaza Drive, for the fan march to the stadium.
- Turn on your cell phone flashlights for kickoffs.
- When you hear Zombie Nation, bounce.
- Sing the alma mater after the game with the team.
The Spirit Team and Marching Knights
It’s not just the football team that impresses on the field.
UCF’s cheerleaders finished second at this year’s College Cheerleading National Championships, and the program has placed among the Top 10 26 times in the last 28 years under head coach Linda Gooch ’85, including national titles in 2003, 2007 and 2020.
UCF’s Marching Knights has been providing the soundtrack to football season for more than four decades. Shop at their store for gear and other merchandise that helps support the band.
Official Watch Parties
Out of town and you can’t make it to the game? Are the Knights on the road? UCF Alumni chapters and clubs around the country host official watch parties. Visit ucfalumni.com/watchparties to see an updated list every week.
Follow The Knights
Want timely game day information and insider content? Download the mobile app by searching “UCF Knights” in the App Store or Google Play. You can also follow these accounts on social media:
Twitter
@UCF_Football
@UCFKnights
Instagram
@ucf.football
@ucf.knights
Game Day Gear
The UCF Bookstores at both the John T. Washington Center and Knights Plaza locations have game day gear available for purchase.
There are also four merchandise locations at the stadium: IOA Plaza, inside Gate 3, inside the Stadium Club, and on the east side of the stadium inside Gate 14.
Donate
In support of UCF Athletics’ vision to be a perennial Top-25 athletics program and “Orlando’s Hometown Team,” it is essential to recruit, retain and develop championship-caliber student-athletes and coaches by delivering exceptional academic support services, competitive operating resources (equipment, travel, salary and scholarship) and world-class athletic facilities for competition, practice, training, recovery and nutrition.
Charitable gifts make a significant impact on the growth and success of UCF Athletics, as well as on the lives of our 435 UCF student-athletes. Donate at ucffoundation.org/knights-athletics.
