FAMU Rattlers · College · SWAC

Tailgating at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee

Lots open
Setup: 5 p.m. day before
Grills
Propane only · no charcoal

Checked Oct 15, 2026

The east face of Bragg Memorial Stadium at FAMU in Tallahassee, with the stadium name on an orange sign above the gates
Photo: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Bragg holds about 19,000. On homecoming the streets around it fill with thousands more Rattlers, old classmates turning the pregame into a reunion. There are no vendors in the tailgate areas, so the food is whatever families bring, and one RV in orange and green has followed the team to every game as, in its owner's words to WTXL in 2023, "FAMU headquarters on the road." The grassy hill beside the stadium, a tailgate spot for decades, closed to tailgating that year, so the Paddyfote Lawn and the lots carry it now. Stay in your seat at halftime for the Marching 100.

The lot answer

FAMU fans tailgate in the space they bought around Bragg or on the Paddyfote Lawn across from the Student Services Center, where each tailgate space comes with an assigned parking space. Permit lots include the Welcome Center, SBI East and Lua Bartley, with Banneker A and B, Perkins Way and the Recreation lots on digital Clutch permits. RVs go to the Villages lot or Ardelia Court from 5 p.m. Thursday.

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largest tent allowed
20 x 20
streets close before kickoff
4 hrs
gates open before kickoff
2 hrs
Get the Pregame for the RattlersEmail me Or get the one-page game-day sheet
Rules checked Oct 15, 2026
Sources

Rules last verified Oct 15, 2026 against famuathletics.com, famu.edu and news.famu.edu.

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Can't miss

  1. The Marching 100 FAMU's band owns halftime, and plenty of fans stay just for it.

Quick answers

What time do the FAMU tailgate areas open?

Drop-off and setup run from 5 to 8 p.m. the day before the game and start again at 8 a.m. on game day. Campus lots are reserved for game-day parking from 5:30 p.m. the day before. Everything has to be gone by 11:59 p.m. on game day.

Can you grill at FAMU tailgates?

Yes, propane only. Charcoal grills are banned, grills must always be attended, at least 2 feet above the pavement and 10 feet from a vehicle's gas cap, and on grass the grill sits on a board. No other fire, so no fire pits or candles.

Can you drink at FAMU tailgates?

FAMU says all alcohol use has to follow state law and University Regulation 3.021. It doesn't post a separate lot rule. Inside Bragg, alcohol is allowed only in the North End Zone, and anyone who looks impaired or is underage is dealt with immediately.

Do you need a ticket to tailgate at FAMU?

You need a tailgating permit or a purchased tailgate space, sold by the FAMU Box Office, and a game-day parking permit to get into the lots. Everyone entering Bragg needs a game ticket.

How do you buy parking at FAMU?

Through the FAMU Box Office, (850) 599-3141. The Bragg Stadium lot and the Althea Gibson Way Garage are for Investing in Champions members. The Banneker A and B, Robert and Trudie Perkins Way, Recreation Field and Recreation Center lots use digital permits in the Clutch app.

The game-day timeline

  1. Thursday, 5 PMRV parking opens in the Villages lot and on Ardelia Court
  2. Day before, 5 PMTailgate drop-off and setup, until 8 p.m.
  3. Day before, 5:30 PMCampus lots are reserved for game-day parking
  4. Game day, 8 a.m. (most games)Setup opens again
  5. 4 hrs beforeStreets around Bragg close, and the box office opens
  6. 2 hrs beforeGates open, and ADA shuttles start
  7. 2 hrs afterGates and tailgate parking areas close
  8. 11:59 PMEvery tailgate item off campus

Where to park

Every campus lot is permit-only on game day, and the roads around Bragg close early. Buy before you drive.

Bragg lot and garage
The stadium lot and the Althea Gibson Way Garage are for Investing in Champions members only.
Permit lots
Welcome Center, SBI East, Lua Bartley and the garage need a permit. Banneker A and B, Perkins Way, Recreation Field and Recreation Center use digital permits in the Clutch app.
Paddyfote Lawn
Extra tailgate spaces across from the Student Services Center on Althea Gibson Way. Each one comes with an assigned parking space.
RVs
Villages lot or Ardelia Court only, from 5 p.m. Thursday. No RVs, buses, trailers, box trucks or trucks in the tailgate areas.
Bragg spaces
In a lined Bragg space, no tent bigger than an 8 x 8 foot footprint and no vehicle over 18 feet long or 8 feet wide.
Accessible
Welcome Center, with SBI West as overflow. Free shuttles every 15 to 20 minutes from 2 hours before kickoff, back from the 4th quarter until 2 hours after.
Visiting buses
Enter at the Althea Gibson and Okaloosa checkpoint and park across from the FAMU Police Department, 2400 Althea Gibson Way.
Bragg Memorial Stadium (Tallahassee) game-day parking, simplified
Bragg Memorial Stadium (Tallahassee) game-day parking, simplified
 See the official Bragg Memorial Stadium (Tallahassee) parking map

Towing at Bragg, the garage, Lua Bartley and the reserved lots starts at midnight Friday. Put your placard on the dashboard.
Parking problems on game day go to Gate 12.
No permit? Park in public parking off campus. Althea Gibson Way and Perry Street close from Perkins Way to Okaloosa Street 4 hours before kickoff, so walk in from the edge.

The rules

Rules last verified Oct 15, 2026 against famuathletics.com, famu.edu and news.famu.edu.

FAMU's rules are detailed, and the fire rules are the strictest. These are the ones that change what you bring.

Grills
Propane only, always attended, 2 feet above the pavement and 10 feet from a gas cap. On grass, set the grill on a board. No charcoal.
Fire
Grilling only. No fire pits, ground fires or candles. Keep a 2A-10B:C extinguisher handy.
Tents
Up to 20 x 20 feet, and never blocking rescue vehicles. In Bragg's lined spaces, 8 x 8 feet max.
Your space
Tailgate only in the space you bought or on the Paddyfote Lawn. Never in a garage or on a campus road.
Power and water
No university outlets or water. No personal portable toilets.
Not allowed
Vendors in the tailgate areas, pets other than service animals, drones.
When it ends
Gates and tailgate areas close 2 hours after the game. Everything off campus by 11:59 p.m.
Bags at the gate
Clear, up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches. Any bag over 4.5 x 6.5 inches must be clear. No coolers or cans.
Gates open
2 hours before kickoff. No re-entry.
Compare the rules in all 173 guides →

Before you go

FAMU Know Before You Go (2026)FAMU clear bag policyFAMU parking on campusFAMU official campus map

Official pages. Rules change; check them the week of the game.

Pack for Tallahassee

What we'd bring.

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Shipping and returns

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Where the party is

FAMU builds its tailgate a night early: tents go up the evening before, the Paddyfote Lawn fills with assigned spaces, and the rest happens in the spaces fans bought around Bragg. By the time the streets close, the setups are already there.

The open lawn

Paddyfote Lawn

Designated tailgate spaces across from the Student Services Center on Althea Gibson Way, with trash cans and portable restrooms from the university. Each space comes with a parking space.

The stadium lot

Bragg Stadium lot

Investing in Champions members tailgate in the spaces they bought. Tents over an 8 x 8 foot footprint aren't allowed in the lined spaces. Vehicles enter from Perry Street; walkers come in from Althea Gibson Way.

The RV row

The Villages lot

Permitted RVs park here or on Ardelia Court from 5 p.m. Thursday.

Know a setup worth showing off? Nominate your tailgate.

Getting out

The streets around Bragg are closed on game day, so leaving takes patience. Your options, best first:

  1. Stay with your setup. Tailgate areas stay open 2 hours after the game. Let the roads clear while you pack up.
  2. Ride the ADA shuttle. Return trips to the Welcome Center and SBI West start in the 4th quarter and run until 2 hours after the game.
  3. Walk out to off-campus parking. If you parked off campus, you skip the campus lots entirely.

  4. Skip this

    Leave at the final whistle. Along with every car in the Bragg lot.

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