Landing demolition will force Florida, Georgia fans to party elsewhere

Jacksonville's sports complex area will be center of rivalry game festivities

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida-Georgia rivalry game has been a Jacksonville tradition since 1933.

For many Gators and Bulldogs fans, the place to party before, during and after the game used to be the downtown Jacksonville Landing.

But since the longtime landmark along the St. Johns River is being demolished, the sports complex area, which includes RV City, will be hosting all the action.

"We enjoyed going down there," Bulldogs fan Randy Stone, who came into town from Tifton, Georgia, told News4Jax on Monday. "It was nice, but that's over with."

RV City will open Tuesday, but recreational vehicles were already lined up Monday, eager to get in. 

The party had already started five days ahead of the top-10 matchup at a pre-RV City parking lot nearby. The first campers there will be the first to pick out their parking spot Tuesday morning when the RV City gates open.

"It's like Christmas for us," said Gators fan Richard Dean, who traveled from Julington Creek and staked out a spot in the holding lot Sunday. "Everybody else has Christmas. This weeklong is our Christmas."

Dean, who had already created a bit of a friendly rivalry in the street with Stone, shared his plans for the "holiday," which will no longer involve the Landing.

"Intuition, maybe that bar next door to that or we come back where we’re set up and just party there," he said.

Duuuval's Bold City Bash will be celebrating one of college football's storied rivalries with fan-centric events, which include a block party, Florida-Georgia baseball game and a country concert with Brett Young, Chase Young and a firework finale Friday night.

And then, of course, Saturday is game day.

"Florida is going to win it by 7," Dean said.

"31-28 Georgia," Stone said. "Should be a good game. It’s going to be a great game."

The first 5,000 fans into TIAA Bank Field will be entered to win and 500 will be chosen to join an on-field dance party with artist Blanco Brown as he performs "The Git Up" dance before kickoff at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

For a complete list of city events, go to flgajax.com.