Peach Bowl FanFest to welcome thousands before the big game

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The Indiana Hoosiers and Oregon Ducks are going head-to-head in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Friday night — which means thousands of fans will descend upon Downtown Atlanta.

The game itself at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is sold out, with an expected attendance of 75,000. And there’s no shortage of fun leading up to the game, whether you have a ticket or not.

Crews have been hard at work at the Georgia World Congress Center to welcome close to 35,000 fans to FanFest. It’s a massive welcome event for a massive football game.

“The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on an annual basis is like having a Super Bowl every two and a half years,” Peach Bowl CEO Gary Stokan said. “That’s how much economic impact we drive. Just this year, we’ll have $100 million of economic impact through the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the AFLAC kick-off games that we held to kick off the season.”

FanFest starts at the Georgia World Congress Center on Friday at 2:30 p.m., where fans will gather in their red or green.

“There is a really unique camaraderie between the fans before kick off, and that’s what FanFest is all about,” Chief Operating Officer David Epps said. “You’re going to see mixing and mingling, you’re going to see people enjoying each other, but then we get in the stadium at 7:30, [and] all that stops.”

While they’re at the festival, Epps said fans will see ziplining, obstacle courses, food, entertainment and the chance to show off their own football skills, with more surprises in store.

“Once you break that threshold, it’s like a carnival,” he said.

The highlight is always the pep rallies. This year will feature the cheerleaders, marching bands and mascots from Indiana and Oregon to get the crowd ready just before kickoff.

With the help of local and federal law enforcement partners, Stokan said they’ve got eyes and ears everywhere.

“Everybody plays on the same team. We’re blessed in this city to have had so many major events that everybody gets it,” he said.

According to Epps, all the fans need to worry about is having a good time, whether you’re an Indiana fan, an Oregon fan or just a college football fan in general.

“Knowing that while the football teams are here to win a very important football game, the fans are here to build some memories that they’re going to keep their entire lives, ” he said. “Gameday is all about making Atlanta accessible and fun, hospitable. Really roll out that southern hospitality that we’re famous for.”

If you’re already in town and want to get the party started on Thursday night, you need to head over to the Georgia Aquarium for a welcome party and pep rally from 3-7 p.m.