As I’m sure you know by now, our pregame is at Mecklenburg Gardens (302 East University Avenue). You can RSVP to our Facebook event here. If you are unacquainted with Meck, it’s an incredible German biergarten with an indoor bar and bierhall attached. They have a full kitchen as well. If you are looking to get food before the game, we recommend coming early so you make sure you have enough time to order, get your food, and eat before the march. There is also a grill outside where you can quickly get a brat or a mett.

Parking at Mecklenburg is limited to a small 5-space lot behind their building, or street parking in the surrounding area, so it might be a good idea to carpool or take public transportation. Additionally there are some metered parking spaces and a few garages around the area. Ultimately, your best chance of getting a close spot is to arrive early.

Mecklenburg Gardens serves draft beers by the liter or half liter and have a great selection of imported German beer and local crafts on tap as well as some bottles or cans. They also have liquor and cider if beer isn’t your thing. Doors will open at 11:00am this Sunday, and we will have merch available to purchase memberships from 11:30am until 2:45pm. To speed things up, you can also purchase your membership online and then simply pick up at Mecklenburg (be sure to select “pickup” while viewing your cart before you click “checkout”). The march will depart from Mecklenburg Gardens at 3:30 sharp. Please try to close your tabs out when you get your last drink if you want to be prepared to march with us to the stadium.

All season long, our pregame events will act as fundraisers for important charities. For the beginning of the season our supported charity will be the West End Art Gallery. This is a small 501(c)3 organization that provides arts programming for kids in the West End. They are an important organization in the community, and we are excited to work with them again this year. A percentage of all food and drink sales will be donated to the West End Art Gallery by Mecklenburg Gardens on our behalf.

We also have additional charity initiatives. Check out our website for more information on events and our mug club charity with rhinehaus for away games!

The March

All fans of the Orange & Blue are welcome to be part of the march to the stadium! Regardless of what Supporters’ Group you’re a part of (or not a part of), or where you sit or stand in the stadium, this is a march in celebration of this city and this team. For the inaugural MLS home opener this weekend, we will be leaving a little earlier than normal because of the large crowds expected as well as the additional security this year. We’ll be leaving at 3:30pm for this 5:00pm kickoff. Our march meets up with the other supporter groups on Short Vine, and then we take a brief pause at the bearcat statue on campus. This is great spot to learn some of the songs as we light some smoke and prepare for the game. We’ll go through security as a group, and then march through the concourse once we are all together inside.