The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will be very different in 2020, starting with no cocktails or tailgating outside of the stadium.
Due to COVID-19, the look at feel of the annual game in Jacksonville will be noticeable.
“The annual Georgia-Florida Football Classic is one of our city’s most well-known and celebrated traditions,” said Mayor Lenny Curry. “We are both thankful and excited that we are able to carry on with the game this year. We have implemented and will continue to maintain regulations for the safety of all those attending. Nevertheless, we will ensure a fun and safe event as we celebrate this college football rivalry in our City.”
Firstly, tailgating on the grounds of TIAA Bank Stadium is strictly prohibited. In addition, RV City and all ancillary events including the Hall of Fame Luncheon and “Duuuval’s Bold City Bash” will not take place this year.
The football team is also making adjustments to how they are operating this week. Typically Florida will take three busses up to Jacksonville on Friday and stay at the Sawgrass Marriott. This year they will take five busses, in order to spread out players, coaches, and staff better, on top of some other new initiatives.
“Jon Clark does all of that,” Mullen said of his director of football operations. “He’s got everybody, seats, whose where, we have assigned seating at every meal now. If we have a team meal it’s assigned seating. He’s working on all of that, who’s with who.”
This is a new standard for Florida after its COVID outbreak following their trip to College Station.
“We felt that we’re spaced out enough, spaced out tables, now we’ve gone to assigned seats,” Mullen said. “We’ve got assigned planes, assigned busses, but we thought if in a meal, we’re in a big room, that we’d be ok. I don’t know that that became a factor at all but that was, it was just another thing we could control. We decided to control it.”
COVID-19 may have turned the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party into an intimate soirée, but it doesn’t change anything between the lines.
It’s No. 5 Georgia vs No. 8 Florida.
It’s a firm hold on the lead in the SEC East and a spot in the driver’s seat for a trip to Atlanta.
Bragging rights.
It’s rivalry.
It’s Mullen’s legacy.
“We want to be a championship football team and whoever wins this game is going to have the inside track towards being there. And that’s what you’re competing for in this game, is that opportunity to put yourself in the driver’s seat to go out and win a championship,” Mullen said. “Those are the opportunities you want to be in, is competing for championships as the season goes on.”