Tailgating at the University of Texas

It's real cool to see all the people partying before and after a Texas Longhorn football game.  Anyone can have a party but staging a party outside in the area of a sports stadium that's soon to hold 100,000 screaming fans is something special to say the least.  Game day tailgating is a huge part of history for any university. Fraternities and Sororities make the tailgating scene one of their biggest events of the year. The parties seem to be a coming out kind of thing for the new Freshmen on campus and you can see them doing some pretty crazy stuff.
Tailgating does not just happen all at once, it takes months of planing. At the University of Texas, 150 university employs work parking and transportation on game day while 300 police officers work traffic and security.  450 people just to make sure everyone gets into the stadium safely and in time for the kickoff.  Hectic is a good way to describe UT game day but it's a controlled hectic. Organization seems to be the key word for a successful tailgating experience. Every party or organization wanting to party must have a assigned spot so reserving that spot almost a year in advance is a must or you will be forced to party miles from the UT campus.
Gone are the days of tailgating's birth when men from Yale and Harvard wore full length raccoon coats and planted beanies on their heads.  The white linen table cloths, silver sets and ice buckets have been replaced by igloos, plastic forks and beer kegs. Today's tailgating is more Frat party than Great Gatsby but the fun is still the same. The tailgaters at Texas make the best of game day and always have lots of fun.  Most of  it is about BBQ, beer and being with friends but the cause is  always helped by a Longhorn victory. Aside tons of of BBQ, gallons of beer and a game victory, what makes the experience better than any other kind of party you could attend are the fans themselves.  There seems to be a common bond among everybody on campus whether they are Longhorn fans or fans from the visiting team.  I've never been part of a specific tailgating group but I have never failed to be invited to BBQ and drink on game day, I just never know where that meal will be. I usually make two game days, having a ball just walking around for a couple of hours looking at all the parties.  Win or lose, BBQ or a bucket of KFC,  I always have a good time.  HOOK-em-HORNS