The fans come early and stay late when the Packers play at Lambeau Field. And if you’re not a Bears fan, they’ll likely ask you to join the fun.Getty images
Did the Green Bay Packers come up with the idea of tailgating?
According to SpoonUniversity.com, the theory is that the Packers “coined the term tailgating in 1919,” which is when it began to be used with modern day American football.
“The fans of the team attended the team’s first practices and games ready to be entertained, and they came prepared,” according to an article on the history of tailgating at Lambeau Field from wideopeneats.com. “Stocked to the brim with food and beverages, fans ‘packed’ onto the sidelines, conversing over the game and real-world banter while the team played on.”
That tradition continues to be a key part of the Packers experience today.
“Tailgating is among the great traditions that fans have experienced for generations at Packers games,” said team spokesman Aaron Popkey. “It is an integral part of the game-day experience that is so celebrated in Green Bay. Our fans take tailgating seriously and know how important it is. It’s why so many of them will invite any passerby to join them at their party in the lot, even fans of the visiting team.”
Walk through the parking lots before a Packers game and you will likely see several fans dressed up like legendary coach Vince Lombardi, with others donning elaborate Packers clothing with everything from a cheesehead to overalls in the team colors. Cars, trucks and even campers are decorated with the Packers colors and feature setups with tents to protect the party from the weather. The tailgating starts more than four hours before game time and goes for several hours after, no matter if the team wins or loses.
The Packers even added Johnsonville Tailgate Village in the main parking lot two years ago for fans who don’t want to bring their own equipment and food.
The tailgating is not limited to the Lambeau Field parking lots. In the driveways, yards and streets of the neighborhoods surrounding the stadium, thousands of fans partake in their own tailgating parties. Many of them have been holding them in the same location for decades.
Just how seriously do Packers fans take their tailgating? They even tailgate each July before the team’s annual meeting at Lambeau Field.
Mark Kass is editor in chief of the Milwaukee Business Journal, an affiliated publication.
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