Berger Family Lawn ready for Green Wave Football gameday tailgating

Berger Family Lawn will reopen for tailgating festivities ahead of the Green Wave's home opener against South Alabama Sept. 12.

The pregame festivities before Saturday's 6 p.m. kickoff will include a performance by the local band Benchwarmers and a children's area with inflatables. Tailgating is set to begin at 2 p.m. Fans can reserve a spot or come early and claim a "Tailgate on Your Own" space on the lawn.

"It's always exciting because Berger Family Lawn is the center of campus, where campus life is built," said Jenn Thelen, executive director of event services. "So it's exciting to start your gameday in the middle of campus life."

Berger Family Lawn is part of the Unified Green project, which will join it with the Newcomb Quad, creating an expansive green space where the Tulane community can gather, study and relax in a park-like setting. The Unified Green project also includes a massive underground detention system that will store approximately 440,000 gallons of water beneath the lawn. The detention system is designed to mitigate the effects of heavy rainfall and reduce the risk of flooding in the university neighborhood.

Fans will see a space that's largely what they remember before the project started, "and the lawn itself should look great," said Jeff Benjamin, vice president of facilities and campus development.

The lawn's Bermuda grass has been replaced by zoysia, a hardy type of grass that's popular on golf courses, does well in shade and sun and also holds up to foot traffic, Benjamin said.

Fans are encouraged to wear their Mardi Gras gear for the game as the Green Wave will sport its King of Mardi Gras City Edition uniforms on the gridiron, including hand-painted helmets by artist Armando Villarreal. The first 10,000 fans will get special beads, and the first 5,000 fans will get a City Edition jersey koozie, courtesy of American Safety.

Aside from tailgating, Berger Family Lawn hosts numerous campus gatherings throughout the year, including Crawfest and the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University.

The return of the popular green space also gives students space to study, play sports or simply enjoy the outdoors in the shade of the oak canopy.