The New CWS Grand Opening Events Set
LEXINGTON, Ky. – On Sept. 5 at 7 p.m., Kentucky football will play the grand opening game in The New Commonwealth Stadium against UL Lafayette. Leading up to kickoff, UK Athletics will host a series of events to commemorate the big day, punctuated by a free pregame concert featuring Sundy Best.
“The opening of The New CWS marks the beginning of a new era of Kentucky football and the culmination of a great deal of hard work by many people,” Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “We look forward to celebrating with our fans the first game played there with a special environment before and during the game.”
The events will be headlined by a pregame concert featuring Sundy Best, a country duo formed by Kentucky natives Kris Bentley and Nick Jamerson. The concert will be held next to the Glenn Infiniti of Lexington Green Lot adjacent to Gate 1 of The New CWS.
Matthew Mitchell and the Go Big Blue Band, with the UK women’s basketball head coach serving as lead singer, will open. The concert is set to begin at approximately 2:45 p.m., with Sundy Best to take the stage at 4 p.m. and break for the Cat Walk at 4:45 p.m.
The national anthem will be performed by a choir composed of singers from each of Kentucky’s 120 counties to celebrate the connection shared between the Bluegrass State and its flagship university. The Team Fastrax Professional Skydiving Team will deliver the game ball to the field by parachute before the team is introduced on the new field for the first time at 6:55 p.m.
At the break between the first and second quarter, an ultra-high resolution 360-degree fan photo will be taken. The interactive photo – powered by Blakeway Worldwide Panoramas – allows fans to find and tag themselves, share the views with friends, enter to win prizes, and celebrate the game in incredible detail. Fan can sign up to be notified when the Kentucky Wildcats Gigapixel is ready to view at this link:
http://pano.ly/uk2015.
New Kentucky Proud concessions will be featured for the grand opening game at select stands, including the Bluegrass Burger and Brooks Italian Sausage. Drinks will also be served in special cups commemorating the first game in The New CWS.
The New CWS will open next month after a $126 million renovation transformed the longtime home of Kentucky football. The stadium will feature a striking exterior; new concourses, concessions and restrooms; premium-seating areas; new team facilities; and a state-of-the-art recruiting room.
Student tickets are sold out for the game and very limited single-game tickets are available to the public, as well as limited season tickets and mini-packs. Tickets can be purchased by visiting ukfootballtix.com.
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