Saturdays in The Swamp arenât just made for tailgating and watching football. Thereâs a top-secret activity I donât want to gatekeep any longer: Getting freebies! On game day, try checking out one of these five places where you could potentially score some free swag:
Plaza of the Americas
If SEC Nation is in town, there will be tents set up by companies sponsoring the show! At the Texas A&M game, I took home so many goodies, including my personal favorite, an SEC baseball cap from Southwest. All I had to do was sign up for emails and scan a QR code to enter a sweepstakes⊠so easy! Southwest even had a photo booth set up, too, and you could easily text the picture to yourself after taking it.Â
My haul: An SEC baseball cap from Southwest, sunglasses and a free drink sample from Gatorade, a power bank and âGo Gatorsâ sign from Regions Bank, and pink Pit Viper dupes from T-Mobile.Â
Raising Canes
Everyoneâs favorite chicken finger spot is in on the game day fun, too. Swing by the University Ave location and keep your eyes peeled for a table near the door. You can choose from four different freebies – a lanyard, pom pom, foam finger, or foldable water bottle. I chose the last option because I almost ordered a foldable water bottle on Amazon the night before so it could easily fit in my stadium bag. Lucky me!
My haul: A foldable water bottle from Raising Canes.
Outside the OâDome
Before entering the stadium, make sure to scope out the scene across the street by the Stephen OâConnell Center. When Texas A&M was in town, Bubble decided to pull up and go all out with arguably the best pop-up Iâve ever seen. After waiting in line for 20 minutes, someone working the pop-up handed me a clear stadium bag with a cute gameday button and almost $50 worth of skincare! But wait, thatâs not all! You could play three mini-games (spin the wheel, Plinko, and beanbag toss) for a chance to win even more Bubble swag. I ended up losing Plinko, but I landed on the best possible spot on the wheel, which earned me a cute T-shirt with âBubble â24â on it. Succeeding at beanbag toss won me another set of three skincare products that I gifted one of my suitmates after the game.
My haul: A T-shirt, gameday button, clear stadium bag, and skincare from Bubble, mini cookies, a foam finger, and eyeblack tattoos from Narcan, a sticker, fan, and pencil from Gatorland, and a koozie, pom pom, and magnet from the Gators.
Inside the Stadium
Did you know that The Swamp has their own version of the Disney 1st Visit! and Happy Birthday! buttons? Now you do! Find a guest services booth, ask the employee for a button, and youâre now ready to celebrate! Also, donât forget to grab a free program booklet so you can keep track of whoâs playing or add to your ever growing Gator scrapbook.
My haul: A program booklet and a 1st Gators Game button from the Gators.
Gametime Giveaways
If you beat the crowd, you might be in luck. At the Miami game, the first 2,000 students in the stadium got a free Gators cooling towel, and the same giveaway took place at the Texas A&M game, too. Additionally, if your seats are close to the turf, pay attention to if the cheerleaders are taking the field; they might have Gator themed T-shirts to throw out to fans!
My haul: Nothing yet (emphasis on yet!)
Good luck if you choose to go swag hunting and Go Gators!