Don’t want to pay $70 to attend the UM vs. FSU game? Don’t want to drive nine hours to Tallahassee? Afraid of missing classes Tuesday morning?
No need to worry, you can still be a part of the action at UM’s legendary Rathskeller.
On Monday evening the “Rat” will be hosting a watch party for the college football season opener. The game will air on ESPN beginning at 8 p.m., but doors will open at 7 p.m. Canes fans will gather around the big screen to watch one of the biggest rivalries in sports.
“We have been hosting watch parties for years,” senior and Rathskeller Advisory Board member Mia Amato said. “It was a huge success two years ago when Miami played at FSU, and we expect the same type of atmosphere.”
The Rat’s advisory board organized the social gathering, while Category Five and Hurricane Productions are sponsoring the event.
Drink and food specials as well as trivia questions in exchange for prizes will take place at the Rat throughout the evening.
Adjacent to UM’s sports bar and grill will be another big screen outside where Canes fans can relax near Lake Osceola and catch all the action.
Before the watch party at 7 p.m., members of Catergory 5 will be painting faces of students on the bridge that connects Hecht and Stanford Residential Colleges.
“I love being at the Rat with fellow diehard fans,” senior Brad Kenin said. “It’s a lot of fun and I’ve been going there for years to watch big games. It’s better than watching at home on my couch.”
Despite the fact that the game is on Labor Day and classes are the next morning, the Rat has more than enough eager students to sign up and help out with the festivities Monday night.
“It’s going to be a great atmosphere,” Amato said. “If you are not going to the game, it’s going to be the place to be.”