On Thursday, Georgia Tech athletic director J Batt spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the newest – and biggest – changes to a Tech home football game. And he simply asked everyone attending Saturday’s game between the Yellow Jackets and South Carolina State, or any future games for that matter, to give it a chance.
“Georgia Tech has one of the most incredible histories and traditions and that includes a game-day experience. Changing or being asked to change is always something to approach cautiously, but at this point in time we’re going to put together a really great experience,” Batt said. “My message to our fan base would be to try it. Make a point to make it over to North Avenue, keep an eye on who the band is, keep an eye on who the live entertainment is, walk over and try it.”
Batt’s brainchild, dubbed the Helluva Block Party driven by Hyundai, makes its debut Saturday morning before Tech football holds its home opener at 1 p.m. inside Bobby Dodd Stadium. The pregame event is designed to drum up excitement and interest in Tech home games, both for diehard fans and onlookers alike.
And it won’t be hard to miss the Helluva Block Party.
Starting six hours before each Tech home game, which means 7 a.m. this week, North Avenue will be closed between Techwood Drive and Luckie Street/Tech Parkway and won’t reopen until the beginning of the game’s third quarter. The closed-off area will include food vendors, interactive games and activities and a live concert. Saturday’s featured performer is DJ Envy, who will begin his performance immediately following the Jackets’ arrival at the stadium, now starting at the corner of North Avenue and Cherry Street, at approximately 10:30 a.m.
The Jackets will then walk through North Avenue before going inside Bobby Dodd Stadium.
“Over a series of months, we were having conversations around, how do we really take advantage of the front door of the institute, which is North Avenue?” Batt said. “How do we create a really cool experience at that front door under what is, I think, one of the most picturesque settings in college athletics which is (Tech Tower Lawn)? And how fortunate are we that our institute’s most picturesque spot is right next to the football stadium? That doesn’t happen very often. So we said, ‘How do we take advantage of that?’”
Helluva Block Party wasn’t necessarily created out of thin air. There was some necessity to the move.
Batt said since construction will begin this winter on the Edge Center at the corner of Bobby Dodd Stadium, a new place for pregame events and tailgating was needed anyway. The Edge Center space will be transformed into a 96,000 square-foot Student Athlete Performance Center that won’t be completed until late 2025.
The Helluva Block Party does have a self-imposed curfew on game days as well. Festivities will cease 30 minutes before kickoff at each Tech home game.
“It’s a little bit of a relocation, but in the end, it’s a lot of the same, just in a new, really well-framed area,” Batt said.
Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
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