Up to 10,000 season-ticket holders will fill the new $875 million Ryan Field on Friday, Sept. 25, for a watch party. The event doubles as a dress rehearsal before the stadium's grand opening on Friday, Oct. 2.
The watch party is the centerpiece of three events Northwestern is staging at the Evanston stadium this week, first reported by the Evanston RoundTable. All three come ahead of the Wildcats' first home game in the new venue, when they host No. 13 Penn State at 7 p.m. on Oct. 2 on FOX.
The week starts Wednesday, Sept. 23, with a Student Pep Rally and Welcome Back Event from 5 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. Students will see the unveiling of a new mural on the stadium's south exterior and gather in the student section for a short program. Shuttle buses will run along Ashland Avenue.
The Season Ticket Holder Watch Party on Friday, Sept. 25, runs from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. All stadium gates will open, and the Northwestern-Indiana game will be shown on the video boards, according to the city of Evanston's parking page, which identifies the opponent. Guests will park in the West Lot and possibly the East Lot.
On Sunday, Sept. 27, from noon to 4 p.m., the contractors who built Ryan Field are invited for an appreciation tour. They will enter through the northwest gate.
The city's parking page also lists a Ryan Field Dedication Ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 1, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Northwestern has not publicly detailed that event.
What neighbors should know
Parking District 6 restrictions kick in during the Friday watch party and all future home games. During restricted hours, street parking near the stadium is limited to vehicles with a valid District 6 resident or guest permit. According to the city, restrictions run from two hours before an event until one hour after it ends.
Drivers should allow extra travel time on Central Street and Ashland Avenue around event start and end times Wednesday and Friday. Large groups of pedestrians are expected near the stadium.
About the new Ryan Field
The privately funded venue replaces old Ryan Field, originally called Dyche Stadium, which stood on the same site from 1926 until demolition in 2024. The Oct. 2 opener marks 100 years since Northwestern's first game on this ground, according to the Chicago Tribune.
At 35,000 seats, the new stadium is the smallest in the 18-school Big Ten by a wide margin. The field sits 21 feet below grade. A 300,000-square-foot canopy prevents crowd noise from escaping and reflects it back onto the field.
Braun said during a media tour that Oct. 2 "is just around the corner, where we have an opportunity as a football program to be playing in the best venue in all of football," as reported by rg.org.
Northwestern enters the opener 2-0.
Penn State is 3-0 and ranked No. 13 nationally. Kickoff is 7 p.m. on FOX.
