Tailgating & Traditions: The Perfect Alabama Crimson Tide Game Day

Roll Tide! With 18 National Championships and over a century of traditions as rich as the Birmingham iron-rich soil that inspired their name, the Alabama Crimson Tide game day experience completely washes out the competition. Check out some tips to ride high on a Roll Tide game day, including how to get Alabama Crimson Tide tickets and Bryant Denny Stadium tickets below.

Start on The Strip

Stroll through the City of Champions starting at The Strip. Located west of Bryant-Denny Stadium on University Boulevard between Wallace Wade Avenue and Reed Street, The Strip hosts a variety of restaurants, bars and Bama-related retail. On an Alabama football game day, the corridor serves as the main gathering area for fans. Before heading to tailgates on The Quad or pregame activities on Champions Lane, be sure to pop in for a drink at long-standing fan favorites like Gallettes and The Houndstooth.

Tailgating in Tuscaloosa

Hit your stride with some pregame action on The Quad, where all on-campus Alabama tailgating takes place. Across from Bryant-Denny Stadium on University Boulevard, The Quad captures the excitement of being amongst the wave of the Crimson Tide as fans are welcome to grill, game prep and celebrate with food, drinks and music. Starting at 7 a.m. on game days, the scene can stretch all-day until the power is cut an hour and a half after the final whistle.

Alabama Crimson Tide tailgating is open to fans for free on The Quad’s west side, with spaces offered on a first-come, first-served basis starting the night before. Meanwhile, reserved Quad plots for single-game or season occupancy can be purchased along with select catering and supply add-ons via Game Day Done Right. For full tailgating rules, visit the Alabama football game day website.

Quad tailgates also host two major Alabama Crimson Tide traditions: the Walk of Champions and the Elephant Stomp. The former occurs about two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff, with fans assembling on University Boulevard to greet players, while the latter Million Dollar Band ritual takes place an hour ahead of the game outside Gorgas Library on The Quad. Follow along with the team on the Walk of Champions to the entrance of Bryant-Denny Stadium to catch a pregame performance as part of the Champions Lane concert series.

Before heading into the stadium, leave extra time to enjoy the Walk of Champions plaza outside of the north entrance. The brick-lined pathway, built in 2006, features a mix of granite plaques and bronze statues honoring Alabama’s championship legacy. For a deeper look at Crimson Tide history, set aside an hour to visit the Paul W. Bryant Museum east of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Named after Hall of Fame coach “Bear” Bryant, the museum opened in 1985 and includes exclusive archives, exhibits and memorabilia.

Embrace the Crimson Tide Traditions

It’s easy to get swept up in all of the Alabama Crimson Tide football traditions, but the most notable and unique include:

“Roll Tide!”

It’s the closing lines to the Crimson Tide fight song “Yea Alabama” and an easy identifier to a fellow Bama fan. Written by a student following the team’s 1926 Rose Bowl victory, “Yea Alabama” began as a warning to SEC rivals and did not originally include its most referenced line, “Roll, Tide! Roll!” Nowadays, the chorus of “Yea Alabama” is played after touchdowns and field goals, though you are guaranteed to hear its final line a whole lot more.

Elephant mascot

Despite their colorful team name, the Crimson Tide’s official mascot has been the elephant since 1979. Team history offers two origins of the nickname “Red Elephants” starting in the late 1920’s. The first traces back to the local Birmingham Trunk Company and luggage tags gifted to the team with the company’s red elephant logo, though it was more widely popularized in 1930 after appearing in print as a reference to the players’ stature. A live elephant was brought in for home games and parades during the 1940s, but the team’s reigning mascot Big Al debuted in 1980.

The Elephant Stomp

Delivered in full by the Million Dollar Band, The Elephant Stomp announces Alabama’s marching band, cheerleading squad and tusked-up mascot Big Al on The Quad before fans head to Bryant-Denny Stadium. Launched in the ’90s, the Elephant Stomp became a can’t-miss spectacle with an entire pep rally taking over the steps of Gorgas Library. The performance begins an hour before kickoff and lasts about 10 minutes.

“Rammer Jammer” Cheer

No college football fan wants to hear themselves on the wrong end of the “Rammer Jammer” cheer. The fighting words cap any Alabama victory and call out the opposing team by name (or mascot), saying “We just beat the hell outta’ you!” Introduced in the ’80s, “Rammer Jammer” gets its name from a former student magazine and conveniently rhymes in-song with Alabama’s state bird, the Yellowhammer. If the team grabs a big win, prepare to hear the Million Dollar Band play “Rammer Jammer” on repeat.

“Dixieland Delight”

Queue up the 1983 single by the band Alabama because “Dixieland Delight” typically plays before the beginning of the fourth quarter. Over the years, fans have even added their own ad-libs to the chorus, including challenges to their SEC rivals Auburn, LSU and Tennessee.

Houndstooth

The black-and-white checkered pattern is often referred to as Alabama’s “third color” besides crimson and white. Houndstooth became associated with the Crimson Tide under coach “Bear” Bryant, who routinely sported the patterned fedora on the sideline. Fans honor Bryant’s legacy with houndstooth designs on everything from hats and shirts to furniture and accessories.

Don’t Forget Your Game Day Essentials

Avoid getting stuck in Tuscaloosa outside of the Crimson Tide football stadium without your essentials by planning ahead. First, have your Crimson Tide game day tickets, parking passes and ID on you and secure at all times. Any daytime game calls for sunscreen, a hat and water, though fans with pregame or postgame activities should also consider a layered outfit to handle changing temperatures throughout the day. Most of all, join the sea of crimson by dressing in full Alabama Crimson Tide football gear. Before heading to the City of Champions, review the Bryant-Denny Stadium entry policies for bags and approved items.

Keep the Party Going After the Game

After a game, Bama fans will likely end up right where the day started: The Strip. Keep the postgame rolling on the outdoor patios at Gallettes or The Houndstooth, with the former specializing in the Crimson Tide’s signature cocktail the Yellowhammer. Stick around for dinner at mainstays like Buffalo Phil’s or Rama Jama’s on Paul W. Bryant Drive, or dive into the Crimson Tide nightlife on The Strip at The Rabbit Hole, The Red Shed, Rounders and more.

Alabama Crimson Tide Game Day Schedule

Football season is in full swing in the fall, with games occurring almost every week. To catch one of the Crimson Tide’s home games, check out their football schedule for the 2024 season.