What to expect on a UW-Madison game day

If someone were to ask Wisconsin students what their favorite part of attending UW-Madison is, many of them will say game day. Almost every Saturday of fall semester, regardless if the game is home or away, you’ll find the entire campus ready to cheer on their favorite team.

Whether you’re the center of it, or haven’t been to a tailgate yet, this is everything that happens and will ever happen on game day.

Red on red on red

Every person on campus wears red on game day, it’s basically human nature. From Sconnie shirts to cheerleader skirts, face tattoos, or simple Bucky apparel, game day truly shows off how pride-filled UW-Madison really is. You’ll be sure to fit in with the entire sea of red making up the stadium.

Cheese, and tons of it

The term “cheese heads” may refer to Packer fans, but the name could easily apply to UW-Madison students too. Typical tailgate food is great and all, but Wisconsin gives people the ability to advance their cheese senses in unimaginable ways. From hot cheese curds, to cold cheese curds, from cheese spreads, or even hot cheese dip, any variety of cheese can be found here, it’s just up to you to find it. There’s even a Cheese Club. This state isn’t called America’s Dairyland for nothing, and this sure is made evident on game day.

Tailgating on a whole new level

Crowds of people eating traditional American meals, relaxing, and taking in the vibes of a potentially anxious yet exciting game of football. What sounds better than?

From Langdon to Mifflin and especially around Camp Randall, there are plenty of tailgates going on, it just depends on where you want to be. It’s enjoyable to everyone, even senior citizens and children, so why not bring the whole family and share a brat with grandpa, pass a football around with dad, and show your siblings how to have a good time? Everyone here acknowledges we’re all on the same team, so it only makes sense to celebrate the potential victory as a whole.

Bucky Badger

Who better to pump up an animated crowd than enthusiastic Bucky himself? Every team needs a mascot, and UW-Madison students definitely love Bucky. From doing push-ups for the amount our football team scored, squirting the crowd with water guns, or even just throwing up the W, Bucky will always be any UW-Madison fans’ go-to guy.

Jump around, literally

The classic and all around favorite tune on game day. Ever since 1998 the crowds in Camp Randall Stadium have blared this tune before every fourth quarter to pump up the crowd and “shake up” the scene. The richter scale even gets set off every game when “Jump Around” plays. Do other schools cause their own miniature earthquakes?

Didn’t think so.

The red and white bibs

Sure, any sort of spirit wear is acceptable on game day, but a real tradition revolves around the legendary white and red overalls. This is when you’re truly ready to pronounce yourself as an ultimate fan, when you can wear what some may call “odd” and “ugly”, but do so with a giant smile on your face.

Luckily, UW-Madison vendors make these in sizes accessible to actually anyone and everyone, so your baby cousin could actually match with your grandpa if you so desire!

Go badgers, but also, go bibs!

Being a Badger is the best, and game day is just one of the many reason why students love calling UW-Madison home.