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UT to celebrate entry into SEC with 'Texas-sized party' featuring 'global superstar'

caleb yum, austin american-statesman
·2 min read

The University of Texas Longhorns left the Big 12 on top, and they'll enter the the Southeastern Conference with a bang.

The on-campus SEC celebration June 30 will have festivities that run from 1 to 10 p.m., including an official ceremony at 8:30 p.m. with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, UT athletic director Chris Del Conte, UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife and university President Jay Hartzell.

“UT’s move to the Southeastern Conference is an extraordinary moment for Texas Athletics, Longhorn Nation and our entire University. It is only fitting that we celebrate this occasion with a Texas-sized party on the Forty Acres, open to all,” Hartzell said in a news release.

Forty-foot-tall burnt orange letters spelling "Texas" have been painted on the Drag, the stretch of Guadalupe Street along the western edge of the University of Texas. The design is part of the lead-up to a daylong event June 30 to celebrate the Longhorns' arrival in the Southeastern Conference on July 1.
Forty-foot-tall burnt orange letters spelling "Texas" have been painted on the Drag, the stretch of Guadalupe Street along the western edge of the University of Texas. The design is part of the lead-up to a daylong event June 30 to celebrate the Longhorns' arrival in the Southeastern Conference on July 1.

There will be "star-studded concerts" starting at 5:30 p.m. on the Main Mall, culminating with the headliner at 9:30 p.m., a "to-be-announced global superstar."

Activities include the typical Texas football game day traditions. Fans can expect food trucks, the Still Austin Music Lounge at the Main Mall, Big Bertha at 21st Street, and exclusive Texas and SEC co-branded merchandise.

“This is a day we have been building towards for years,” said Del Conte, who presides over a department that has produced multiple Big 12 championships as well as national titles this academic year. “We can’t wait to see the Burnt Orange and White come out for a jam-packed day of activities celebrating all of our traditions and create new memories as we join the SEC.”

There will be free parking in designated garages and surface lots beginning at 11 a.m.

2024 Texas football schedule

  • Aug. 31 – Colorado State

  • Sept. 7 – at Michigan

  • Sept. 14 – UT-San Antonio

  • Sept. 21 – University of Louisiana-Monroe

  • Sept. 28 – Mississippi State (SEC)

  • Oct. 12 – vs. Oklahoma (SEC; Cotton Bowl, Dallas)

  • Oct. 19 – Georgia (SEC)

  • Oct. 26 – at Vanderbilt (SEC)

  • Nov. 9 – Florida (SEC)

  • Nov. 16 – at Arkansas (SEC)

  • Nov. 23 – Kentucky (SEC)

  • Nov. 30 – at Texas A&M (SEC)

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: UT-Austin to host 'Texas-sized party' for SEC celebration in June