[teejers1]

Let's face it:  the organizers of the official tailgater have fans by the short hairs.  And they price it accordingly.

Our group put on one helluva tailgater at the Rose Bowl (6 kegs, spring lamb on a spit, etc.).  But that took a lot of work by locals and was aided by prior experience of actually tailgating at the Rose Bowl.  That doesn't apply here; thus, our group took the easy (but much more expensive) way out, and ponied up the bucks.

I doubt it will be "worth it" - especially for our kids - but relative convenience and lack of hassle made it the choice for us.

P.S.  I agree that the Orange Bowl 'gater was done well - and given the largely adult fans in attendance, it worked.  But I have two concerns about the Fiesta's ability to match last year's event: first, the sheer number of people will be greater (making all logistics tougher); and second, I expect a lot more kids there.  I actually hope they have the event outside the stadium - you know, maybe even on some grass.  Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

P.P.S.  Best official tailgater I've ever attended:  the one for the recent Sun Bowl.  It was inexpensive and very well organized.  And they handled a lot of Stanford fans, too (but not nearly as many as I expect for the Fiesta tailgate).

[teejers1]

Let's face it:  the organizers of the official tailgater have fans by the short hairs.  And they price it accordingly.

Our group put on one helluva tailgater at the Rose Bowl (6 kegs, spring lamb on a spit, etc.).  But that took a lot of work by locals and was aided by prior experience of actually tailgating at the Rose Bowl.  That doesn't apply here; thus, our group took the easy (but much more expensive) way out, and ponied up the bucks.

I doubt it will be "worth it" - especially for our kids - but relative convenience and lack of hassle made it the choice for us.

P.S.  I agree that the Orange Bowl 'gater was done well - and given the largely adult fans in attendance, it worked.  But I have two concerns about the Fiesta's ability to match last year's event: first, the sheer number of people will be greater (making all logistics tougher); and second, I expect a lot more kids there.  I actually hope they have the event outside the stadium - you know, maybe even on some grass.  Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

P.P.S.  Best official tailgater I've ever attended:  the one for the recent Sun Bowl.  It was inexpensive and very well organized.  And they handled a lot of Stanford fans, too (but not nearly as many as I expect for the Fiesta tailgate).