Northwestern plans to convert its lakefill into a ticketed tailgating and watch party space for home football games played at the temporary lakefront field over the next two seasons, while also allowing fan tailgating at several parking areas on and around campus, the university’s Athletics Department announced Tuesday.
Dubbed “Lakeside Gameday,” the plan is marketed as “the ultimate football festival and gameday tailgating experience,” with amenities including live DJ sets, hot food and alcohol-beverage options and live broadcasts of Northwestern football and other nationally telecast games. The university is partnering with Specialized Mobile Exhibits, a North Carolina-based company that produces “immersive experiences” for hospitality and marketing uses.
“Given the location of the temporary facility, we worked with Northwestern to create a world-class fully turn-key event,” wrote SME chief executive Toby Robertson in NU’s news release. “All fans need to do is enjoy the Lake Michigan shoreline, Chicago skyline, college football, music, the traditions of Northwestern and the camaraderie of gameday, which will be the most unique gameday experience these next two seasons.”
The Lakeside Gameday area will cover the entire lakefill, which is typically open to both the Northwestern community and the general public. The area ends to the north at Hutcherson Field, part of which will be used for seating at the temporary football field. The temporary facility is under construction at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium, which will be used in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 football seasons while the new Ryan Field is under construction on Central Street.
General admission tickets cost $25 each and premium seating options range from $600 to $4,250 and beyond. Only some premium options include parking passes and none include tickets to the football games themselves, which are not yet for sale for individual home games this coming season.
City spokesperson Cynthia Vargas told the RoundTable via email that the Lakeside Gameday production is considered an “outdoor recreation facility,” which is a permitted use in the university’s U3 zoning district that doesn’t require special city approval.
Tailgating at campus parking lots
Lakeside Gameday’s website also includes a map showing the parking areas on and around campus that can be used on gamedays. Many of the lots are labeled as “full tailgating allowed.” These include:
- The Noyes/Haven/Sheridan lot at 2200-2224 Sheridan Road, across Sheridan from NU’s Technological Institute.
- The Library Place/Sheridan Road lot at 616 Library Place, across Sheridan from NU’s Lunt Hall.
- The Northwestern Place lot east of Sheridan between NU’s Lunt Hall and the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
- The Locy Lot on Campus Drive, north of NU’s Locy Hall.
- The Lakeside Parking Structure at 1 Arts Circle Drive, north of NU’s Segal Visitors Center and South Campus Parking Garage.
Northwestern hasn’t publicly shared how much parking will be reserved for season ticket holders, and parking passes for individual games are not currently on sale.
Northwestern spokesperson Eliza Larson did not immediately respond to an email with questions about the university’s plans for gameday parking and fan tailgating.
Vargas told the RoundTable that although tailgating is not regulated by the city’s zoning code, Northwestern is “required to submit an Event Operations Plan for administrative review” and approval prior to the first home football game.
Council Members Eleanor Revelle (7th Ward) declined to comment on this story, and Clare Kelly (1st Ward) did not respond to a request for comment.
Northwestern will open this year’s football season at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31, with a home game against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks. The Lakeside Gameday area will open at 10:30 a.m. and close two hours after the game ends.
NU to use lakefill as tailgating space for home football games is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.