NEW ORLEANS (December 21, 2023) – Fans attending the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Monday, January 1, 2024, are invited to converge on Champions Square at the Caesars Superdome to enjoy the NewOrleans.com Allstate Sugar Bowl Tailgate Town hosted by New Orleans & Company, the official pre-game party. Gates open at 4 p.m. for Tailgate Town while the Allstate Sugar Bowl is scheduled to kick off at 7:45 p.m.
 
Fans must have a Sugar Bowl game ticket to access Tailgate Town.
 
Tailgate Town, which is open from 4-7 p.m., will feature food, interactive games, and lots of entertainment. The band and cheerleaders from each school will perform – the Husky Marching Band's infectious grooves have delighted sports and music aficionados around the world for the last 93 years, while The Longhorn Band, founded in 1900, is rooted in countless traditions and historic events with high standards of achievement at its foundation.
 
Fans attending Tailgate Town are encouraged to visit the New Orleans & Company activation to enter the "Sugar Bowl 24 Come Back to New Orleans Sweepstakes" for a chance to win a return trip to New Orleans to experience all the city has to offer. The prize package features complimentary hotel stay, free admission to one of the city's top attractions, and specialty lunch and dinner reservations, among other perks.
 
Superdome doors are scheduled to open at 5:30 p.m. for the highly anticipated showdown between No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas. The winner of this year's game, the 90th annual Sugar Bowl Classic, will advance to the College Football Playoff Championship on Monday, January 8, in Houston. The other Playoff Semifinal pits No. 1 Michigan against No. 4 Alabama and will be played at the Rose Bowl, which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. (Central), also on ESPN.
 
Washington (13-0, 9-0 Pac-12) advanced to the College Football Playoff after a thrilling 34-31 victory over No. 5 Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game on Dec. 1. Texas (12-1, 8-1 Big 12) also earned its conference championship with an impressive 49-21 win over No. 18 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 2. The Huskies and the Longhorns are the 94th and 95th conference champions to play in the Sugar Bowl in its 90-year history.
 
Washington will be the first Pac-12 team to play in the Sugar Bowl while schools that are currently in the Big 12 have made 25 Sugar Bowl appearances with an all-time mark of 15-10.
 
For the latest updates on the Allstate Sugar Bowl, follow @SugarBowlNola on Twitter and Instagram, "like" Sugar Bowl Allstate Sugar Bowl on Facebook, or visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.
 
About the Sugar Bowl:
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 national champions, 102 Hall of Fame players, 52 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 89-year history. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards, scholarships and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting nearly $2.4 billion into the local economy in the last decade. For more information, visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.
 
New Orleans & Company:
New Orleans & Company is the tourism and hospitality industry's official destination sales, marketing and trade organization, responsible for driving over $10 billion of diverse annual business to the regional cultural economy. We attract leisure and cultural travel, business meetings, conventions, weddings, festivals, sporting and special events to New Orleans, considered the cultural capital of the south, in a highly competitive global environment. Founded in 1960, New Orleans & Company is committed to celebrating the richness of our culture while creating jobs, building careers, and enhancing the quality of life for every New Orleanian. For more, please call 504-566-5011, visit Neworleans.com, Facebook at New Orleans & Company, or Twitter and Instagram @VisitNewOrleans.