Ultimate Notre Dame Football GameDay Experience
A trip to watch a game at Notre Dame Stadium is on the bucket list for most college football fans, and it is easy to see why – Gameday at Notre Dame is special. From the atmosphere on campus, to throwing a football on one of the quads, to taking a picture in front of Touchdown Jesus, to walking into the “House That Rockne Built” and looking up at the national championship banners, the ND football experience is special, and unmatched anywhere in the country.
To celebrate the return of fans to the stands after the pandemic-influenced 2020 season, Irish Breakdown is your one-stop-shop for the ultimate Notre Dame Gameday experience. Check back throughout the season for updates, things to do, and tips to make your time on campus unforgettable.
Though there is no team like Clemson or Georgia on the home slate, the Irish do play host to preseason top-15 teams Cincinnati, USC, and North Carolina, with the games against the Trojans and Tar Heels coming under the lights. Additionally, the Irish resume their series with long-time rivals Purdue and Navy. In the coming weeks, Irish Breakdown will have a ton of content breaking down these matchups.
Notre Dame Home Football Schedule
- September 11th – Toledo, 2:30 PM ET
- September 18th – Purdue, 2:30 PM ET
- October 2nd – Cincinnati, 2:30 PM ET
- October 23rd – USC, 7:30 PM ET
- October 30th – North Carolina, 7:30 PM ET
- November 6th – Navy, 3:30 PM ET
- November 20th – Georgia Tech, 2:30 PM ET
WHERE TO STAY
Plan on booking your travel well in advance for a Notre Dame football weekend, especially if a marquee opponent is in town, and expect at least a two-night minimum stay. You will find your standard hotel options in the greater South Bend area, but if you have a large enough group, consider booking a rental house. In addition to having more space, splitting the cost among a group is likely cheaper than a hotel room. While you can book through AirBnb and VRBO, also check out Rent Like a Champion, a college-football focused rental housing company founded in South Bend by Notre Dame fans, that has since expanded nationwide.
Unique Experience: If you’ve experienced many Friday nights on campus already, check out a house rental in southwestern Michigan, on or near Lake Michigan. St. Joseph is only 45 minutes from campus, and Friday afternoon wine tasting followed by a bonfire on the beach is a great way to get ready for Gameday.
FRIDAY NIGHT
I made a big mistake my first semester senior year and registered for a 3 pm German class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Walking to class on Friday afternoons past students throwing the football, families walking around campus, and the sun shining through leaves beginning to change color was so difficult! I may or may not have missed a few of those Friday classes, because the only thing better than a Friday evening before a home game on Notre Dame’s campus is Gameday itself.
Make sure you experience Trumpets Under the Dome on Friday afternoon at 4:10 PM (or Saturday an hour before kickoff if you miss it), where the Notre Dame trumpet section plays a medley of legendary Irish music at the Main Building. After your goosebumps from listening to the echoes of the Alma Mater fade, head over to the pep rally to see the team, cheerleaders, and Leprechaun, and get pumped up hearing pep talks from current and former players and coaches.
The pep rally will be at 6:00 PM in the South Quad.
After grabbing dinner at one of the classic South Bend eateries or new restaurants at Eddy Street Commons, make sure to return to campus after the sun goes down and head to the Grotto to light a candle and offer up a prayer. Though the Grotto is always a special place – it is even more remarkable at night, when the dancing candles cast shadows on the stone walls, the wind softly blows off the lake, and the veil between Heaven and Earth truly seems to be lifted.
For those who can stay awake long enough, head back to the steps of the Main Building for the midnight Drummer’s Circle with the Notre Dame drumline and mark the official beginning of Gameday!
Unique Experience: Between your visit to the Grotto and the beginning of the Drummer’s Circle at midnight, walk from the Grotto along Holy Cross Drive toward Bond Hall. Near the Log Chapel and overlooking St. Joseph Lake, stands a statue of St. Joseph. Next to the statue is a plaque with a letter written from Fr. Edward Sorin to Fr. Basil Moreau in 1842, explaining why he had chosen this spot to establish a university. Sorin writes, “As there is no other school within more than a hundred miles, this college cannot fail to succeed.... Before long, it will develop on a large scale…. It will be one of the most powerful means for good in this country.” My friends and I had many discussions about life, school, and our futures standing around that letter at night with a cigar. Reading that letter – at night – next to the Log Chapel and looking out at the lake, you truly touch the soul of Notre Dame.
Notes – Due to Covid restrictions, Trumpets Under the Dome will be in front of the Main Building this year. Additionally, the university has not announced the time and location of the Friday pep rally.
GAMEDAY
Gameday Parking
The first question you must answer on Gameday is where to park (ND parking map here). Though you can occasionally find free parking on streets near campus, there are many options on and near campus, each with their plusses and minuses. Here are some of the most popular:
The Stadium, Joyce, and Compton parking lots are the main tailgating areas and lie south of Notre Dame Stadium and the Joyce Center. These asphalt lots offer a party atmosphere and easy stadium access, but advance purchase of a parking pass is required, which can be expensive for the major home games. Additionally, these lots get crowded and therefore expect traffic leaving after the game. If you’re looking for a party and to form a “mega-tailgate” with the groups next to you, this is the spot to be.
White Field is a grass lot north of campus and offers arguably the cheapest parking option at $30. Additionally, the university provides free shuttles from the parking lot to campus, which make it a convenient option for parking off I-80/90. Relying on a shuttle to get back to the parking lot does create some congestion after the game, though the university does a pretty good job of moving everyone through.
Unique Experience: The Burke Golf Course on the southwestern side of campus is the best kept parking secret – I hesitate to even write about it here. The lot is divided into Burke North and Burke South, and for only $40 fans get to tailgate on grass with a wide fairway in front of them to throw the football, play cornhole, or spread out chairs for easy conversation. There are also never any bathroom lines. The main downside to the Burke lot is that the walk to the stadium is around 15 minutes, but after the game it offers the easiest access to 933 and I-80/90 without having to depend on a shuttle. After a night game a couple years ago, I was back on the highway heading west 5 minutes after reaching my car.
Campus Tour (Notre Dame Campus Map here)
After parking and setting up your tailgate, take a walk around campus and soak in the atmosphere! Starting on the southern end of campus, walk up Notre Dame Avenue and take in the Golden Dome framed by fall colors on either side. After stopping at the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore to buy this year’s edition of The Shirt, you’ll cross West Quad before arriving at South Quad, one of the iconic places on Notre Dame’s campus (and no, you’re not lost – West Quad is located south of South Quad).
Walking across South Quad, which contains the Rockne Memorial Gymnasium (“The Rock”) on the west, O’Shaughnessy Hall (O’Shag) on the east, and some of the most stately dorms on campus (though don’t tell that to Dillon and Alumni Hall residents and alums), you can stop and grab a steak sandwich from the Knights of Columbus or a brat or burger from one of the other food stands sponsored by a dorm or club and staffed by students busy fundraising (or working off dorm service hours after getting caught playing beer pong).
Continuing north brings you past the Sacred Heart statue and to the steps of the Main Building, with the Basilica of the Sacred Heart to your left and the LaFortune Student Center to your right. After marveling at the interior of the Basilica and exiting under the God, Country, Notre Dame inscription on the east entrance, you could continue behind the Basilica to the Grotto, or head east toward the Hesburgh Library.
Since you saw the Grotto and lakes last night, you head toward the library, crossing the southern end of North Quad, home to Keenan Hall, the best dorm on campus, and Stonehenge, a fountain dedicated to Notre Dame alumni killed in battle. Arriving at the library, you take the iconic photo lifting your arms in front of the Word of Life Mural, better known as Touchdown Jesus. Directly across from the library is Notre Dame Stadium, the home of the Fighting Irish.
Unique Experience: For one last stop before heading back to your tailgate, Heritage Hall, on the second floor of the Joyce Center located just east of Notre Dame Stadium, in addition to offering air conditioning, showcases a multitude of memorabilia and trophies earned through Irish athletic success.
Friday Night Locations – Blue Circles
Campus Tour – Red Arrows
Mentioned Buildings – Gold
Quads – Yellow highlighting
Gameday Weekend Activities
On a Notre Dame football weekend, there are a myriad of activities around campus, ranging from marching band performances and the Player Walk, to academic lectures featuring notable guest speakers, pre- and post-game Mass options, and plenty of pickup football games. Here are some of the key events for the home opener against Toledo.
Events and activities courtesy of Notre Dame’s Gameday website. For a full listing of events this weekend, check it out here.
Event: Football Fridays at the Eck
Date and Time: Friday, September 10th, 11 AM – 5 PM
Location: Eck Visitors Center
Description: Food from the grill, interviews with special guests, live music, performances from student groups, giveaways, and more.
Event: Innovation Rally
Date and Time: Friday, September 10th, 12 PM – 2:30 PM
Location: Innovation Park
Description: The Innovation Rally features complementary lunch, innovative speakers, networking and an interactive showcase of emerging and cutting-edge Notre Dame startups and technologies.
Event: "God, Notre Dame, Country: Glimpses of the University's first Century" Lecture
Date and Time: Friday, September 10th, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: LaBar Recital Hall, O’Neill Hall
Description: This lecture provides snapshots of Notre Dame long before it was either a football powerhouse or a top-tier research university. Drawing from material explored in her Notre Dame & America course, Professor Cummings will discuss the University's evolution from a remote missionary outpost of the Catholic Church in the 1840s into a full-fledged college by the 1930s, highlighting a few founding stories and forgotten heroes.
Event: Thunder from the Sky: Festive Organ Music in the Basilica
Date and Time: Friday, September 10th, 3:30 PM – 3:45 PM
Location: Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Description: Basilica organists will be “pulling out all the stops” during 15-minute informal recitals that are sure to shake the rafters! The concerts will conclude with a rousing rendition of the alma mater.
Event: Trumpets Under the Dome
Date and Time: Friday, September 10th, 4:10 PM – 4:20 PM
Location: Main Building
Description: Watch the Notre Dame Band trumpet section play ND favorites in front of the Main Building.
Event: Midnight Drummers Circle
Date and Time: Saturday, September 11th, 12 AM – 12:15 AM
Location: Main Building
Description: The Notre Dame Drumline holds their traditional Drummers’ Circle in front of the Main Building.
Event: “Ethics and Accountability of AI” Lecture
Date and Time: Saturday, September 11th, 10 AM – 11:30 AM
Location: Stayer Center – Morris Commons
Description: “Mornings@Mendoza” is a new faculty lecture series meant to start your game day with fresh insights and perspectives from the worlds of business and higher education.
Event: Player Walk
Date and Time: Saturday, September 11th, 12:15 PM – 12:30 PM
Location: Library Quad
Description: Coach Kelly and the Irish football team arrive at the Gug on Saturday afternoons for final preparations before taking the field at Notre Dame Stadium. After the team walks from the Gug to the Hesburgh Library, they proceed south toward the Stadium, and enter the house that Rockne built through the North Tunnel gates.
Event: Trumpets Under the Dome
Date and Time: Saturday, September 11th, 12:30 PM – 12:45 PM
Location: Main Building
Description: If you missed it Friday night, you have another chance to watch the Notre Dame Band trumpet section play ND favorites in front of the Main Building.
Event: Tailgate of Champions at Legends
Date and Time: Saturday, September 11th, 10 AM - Kickoff
Location: Legends
Description: Don’t feel like setting up your own tailgate? You can come to Legends just outside of Notre Dame Stadium, where $135 gets you access to an unlimited open bar, plenty of food from the grill or meat carving stations, and live music from 10 AM - kickoff. From kickoff until 10 PM, a $55 ticket gets you access to food, music, and one drink ticket.
For more information on Gameday events, parking, and the beautiful Notre Dame campus, check out ND's Gameday website or print out a helpful PDF here.
NOTRE DAME STADIUM POLICIES
Here are a few things to know in preparation for your 2021 Notre Dame Stadium experience:
- Notre Dame has transitioned to mobile ticketing for the 2021 football season. Make sure your phone has plenty of battery!
- All fans, regardless of age, need to have a ticket for the game.
- Masks are optional for vaccinated guests in outdoor settings, including Notre Dame Stadium. Non-vaccinated guests are expected to wear masks on campus. Masks are required indoors for all guests. This is subject to change based on state and local guidelines (current mask policy).
- Notre Dame Stadium is now a cashless venue – cash is not accepted by any vendor or concession stand inside the stadium.
- Notre Dame Stadium has instituted a clear bag policy. There are also restrictions on bag size
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
Irish Breakdown Content
Notre Dame 2021 Roster
Notre Dame 2021 Schedule
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Offense
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Defense
Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
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