The annual SEC East rivalry football game between the University of Florida and the University of Georgia will remain in Jacksonville through 2023.
Mayor Lenny Curry announced Friday the city reached an agreement with the two schools to keep the game at TIAA Bank Field for three more years with an option to extend the agreement through 2025.
“Our new agreement further strengthens the Florida-Georgia tradition we have enjoyed here in Jacksonville for more than 80 years,” Curry said. “This game is an incredible asset for our city and the best is yet to come.”
Jacksonville has hosted the college football rivalry game since 1933. A sellout crowd of more than 83,000 is expected at TIAA Bank Field. According to city officials, the game’s economic impact to Jacksonville in 2018 was more than $30 million.
“We look forward to the continuation of one of the greatest college football traditions in the country — a border states battle between Georgia and Florida,” said Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity. “The extension ensures the historical preservation of the game in Jacksonville which has been part of the national college football landscape since 1933. The city of Jacksonville has once again demonstrated its commitment to this game through significant financial considerations to each school.”
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin also praised the city and the agreement.
“The Florida-Georgia game is more than a football game, it’s a weeklong celebration of two storied programs meeting on a neutral field that has created generational memories for both fan bases,” he said.
City Council will need to vote on the agreement. Curry said he anticipates that will be complete in the coming weeks.
Curry also announced this year’s Florida-Georgia weekend will include the inaugural Bold City Bash on Nov. 1. It will feature a concert from country music headliner Brett Young with country music singer-songwriter Chase Rice as the opening act.
The Bash will have a block party and exhibition baseball game between the two universities. It also will feature the annual Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame Ceremony and Luncheon.
The Hall of Fame Ceremony is at noon Nov. 1 at The TIAA Bank West Club. The Block Party begins at 4 p.m. Nov. 1 along Adams Street and A. Philip Randolph Boulevard and will feature food trucks and a beer garden. The baseball game is 6:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, followed by the concert.
The Georgia-Florida football game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 2.
For information about the Bold City Bash, visit flgajax.com.
