BERKELEY – When Golden Bear fans come out to California Memorial Stadium this fall, they can expect a number of new features intended to enhance their gameday experience, from pregame concerts to giveaways to new food options.
"We are always looking to improve our gameday experience, and we hope our fans enjoy the new features coming to California Memorial Stadium this season," Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton said. "Many of the ideas for improvements have come through feedback from surveys and emails – we are listening. We believe that a football game is a platform to celebrate our University, and we are working hard to provide opportunities to showcase our entire campus, as well as Cal Athletics, giving fans the chance to experience all that Cal has to offer."
Starting at Tailgate Town before entering the stadium, fans can enjoy a kids zone, free pregame concerts, student-athlete sport demonstrations and an enclosed beer garden. Fans can further enhance their experience through Blockparty, which provides premium pregame reserved tailgating packages to groups of all sizes with custom offerings. Tailgate Town opens three hours before kickoff for each home game and is held on Maxwell Family Field, directly north of California Memorial Stadium.
Once inside the gates, a number of improvements and new features will greet guests throughout the stadium. Among them are:
Sport and academic department demonstrations on Lisa and Douglas Goldman Plaza and throughout the stadium
An expanded Blue & Gold Zone on the concourse near the 50-yard line with a social media wall and team demonstrations. It remains open the entire game. The south end of the concourse will also feature a Lego wall. In addition, Instagrammable photo points will be stationed throughout the stadium.
Pillars throughout the concourse will feature new branding with stadium information and directional signage.
Cal student giveaways for every game, starting with a Cal t-shirt for the opener against North Carolina. Students are encouraged to come early and take home authentic Cal gear, including tank tops, socks and more.
For fans who sit on the sunny east side of Memorial Stadium, cooling misting stations will be out for warm days.
New cellphone charging stations will be available on the East Rim, in the Blue & Gold Zone and in the Guest Services area on the concourse.
A pregame photo scavenger hunt for cool Cal prizes. Watch @CalAthletics for more details as the season approaches.
Boba Tea and Evergood Sausages will be for sale at concession stands on the East Rim with more items to come during the year. Other items available elsewhere in the stadium include chicken wraps, quinoa bowls, street tacos and flavored popcorn. Click on the concession map for more food options.
Section J features new comfortable seating with every other row removed to provide fans with a tabletop to place their food and drinks. The feature proved so popular, it sold out before the start of the season and it may be expanded for 2019.
A bobblehead giveaway of The Play for 10,000 fans at the Big Game has already been announced with more giveaways to come during the season.
New and upgraded video ribbon boards near all four corners of the field.
The Victory Cannon on Tightwad Hill will continue to fire for every Cal score and at the end of the game. A new Cannon Call will fire 30 minutes prior to kickoff to let fans know the Cal Band pregame show is about to start.
Tickets the 2018 season are now on sale through CalBears.com/tickets or by calling (800) GO BEARS (462-3277) and pressing option 3.
The Golden Bears open the year hosing North Carolina at 1 p.m. on Sept. 1. Pac-12 play begins Sept. 29 vs. Oregon and additional home games include UCLA, Washington, Stanford and Colorado.
