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Football

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Tickets

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Rating: 4 out of 5 based on 315 reviews

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About

Citrus Bowl History

The Citrus Bowl in Orlando is one of college football's signature events, a burst of Florida sunshine on New Year's Day. The game, traditionally played on January 1, usually pits an SEC team against a representative from the Big Ten.

The event was born in 1947 as the Tangerine Bowl, with the Catawba Indians beating the Maryville Scots, 31-6. The initial sponsors were members of a local Elks Lodge who each put up $100 to cover expenses. Proceeds went to the Harry Anna Children's Hospital, which is why the bowl would come to be known as the "Little Bowl with the Big Heart." The stadium, built in 1936 under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration, accommodated just 8,900 fans.

Today the stadium — now called Camping World Stadium — is a fully modern, 65,000-capacity facility, and the Citrus Bowl is a centerpiece of the bowl season. While it lacks the pageantry of the Rose Bowl on the other side of the country, the game is rich with the sport's history, both bad and good. The unbeaten 1955 Hillsdale College football team refused an invitation to the bowl after officials said the school's four black players would not be allowed to play. Likewise, University of Buffalo players in 1958 elected to skip the game because its two black players would have been kept off the field. But by 1966, the color line had been lifted, and Morgan State became the first historically black college to play in the bowl. The Bears went on to beat the West Chester Golden Rams, 14-6.

Other memorable games include the 1996 Citrus Bowl, in which fourth-ranked Tennessee beat fourth-ranked Ohio State, 20-14, and the 1969 edition, in which Toledo hung 56 points on Davidson, a bowl record that stands today.

Reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5 based on 315 reviews
  • absolutely NO organized workforce

    by momink on 1/4/16Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 3 out of 5

    Live in Orlando and know the Citrus bowl well. This experience left me wishing I were at home watching the game! Getting into the venue was met with disorganized lines that looked more like flash mob gatherings than any sort of line. There were not enough ticket workers....at our entry point there were 2 lines 8 people wide each and only 2 workwrs scanning tickets! Concessions were terrible...my husband waited in line for nearly 45 minutes and they looked like that the whole game!! Slow and disorganized service behind thise concession stands. However, on our way out every single staff we passed wished us well and goodbye. Guess they were glad to see us go!

  • Concession wait time far too long

    by Michigan98 on 1/3/16Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 1 out of 5

    Went to concessions with 8 minutes left in 2nd quarter and got back to seat after halftime. No hotdogs (before halftime) understaffed. If they are going to charge those prices then hire some staff!!

  • Audio system was horrible

    by Anonymous on 2/10/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 3 out of 5

    They had the audio system turned up so loud that everybody in my section was covering their ears and we were at the far end of upper deck away from the speakers! It was horrible! Game was good... nice place otherwise. Ended up sitting on the other side of the stadium... it would have been NICE if tm had indicated which side of the stadium would be used by which team's fans! Very little or no official staff reporting the issue, and no number to text with the issue.

  • First Bowl Game

    by MizzouFan72 on 1/21/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 3 out of 5

    Overall a good experience, never saw a drunk or obnoxious fan from either team. Parked in a private lot off Church Street with an easy walk to stadium, had NO problem with traffic arriving or leaving. Sat in the upper level, which is HIGH up, but we were close to the 40 yard line and could see the action at both ends of the field. Only complaint was the VOLUME of the speakers BLASTING canned music and promos during timeouts. TOO DAMN LOUD!! My advice, do NOT get seats south of the fifty yard line, or bring earplugs.

  • Citrus Bowl

    by UofMmom2018 on 1/7/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 4 out of 5

    We attended the 2015 Citrus Bowl game in this stadium. The stadium is very nice and easy to navigate. There are lots of restrooms and concessions sites. I don't know that there is a bad seat in the house - I think all seats would be good - even on the corners. My only complaint was that there wasn't very much variety in the concessions. It would have been nice to have food other than hot dogs like chicken strips or sandwiches. I think if you had a special wrist band you could go to a place on the club level (2nd level) where it looked like they had good food options. Also, water should not be more expensive than pop in FL where it is hot and you want people to stay hydrated - otherwise allow them to bring in water bottles. Bands should have been switched since sound projected across the field. We heard more of the opposing teams band than our own.

  • Awesome Venue!

    by TBDyson on 1/7/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 4 out of 5

    The upgrades to the stadium looked fantastic. Even the seats up high had an awesome view and we loved the plaza level because we could go down and stand to video.

  • Citrus Bowl: Game was great, venue needs help

    by MrMIZZOU on 1/5/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 4 out of 5

    January 1, 2015 Citrus Bowl. Awesome game with a happy outcome for me. The venue itself was newly refurbished and very nice. The problem was the lack of concessions. Beer was plentiful, but some of us just wanted water or soda. The two concession areas in the corners had long, very slow-moving lines. I waited twice and gave up after five minutes without the line advancing whatsoever. Of the several temporary concession stands set up in the end zone, all were completely out of everything by halftime! And they were quite rude to fans who didn't realize this and approached to try to purchase something! The only ones that were still going strong were the alcohol booths. I tried to buy a bottle of water there but they only had warm water. I refused to pay $5.00 for a bottle of warm water. They had soda but it was only for use by the bartender as a mixer, so again I was sent away without my water or Pepsi. I finally found a beer vendor who was resting in the corner and I saw he had a couple bottles of water in his tub. I was elated and gave him $15 for two bottles of cold water ($5 each plus a $5 tip). It was a nice day but not extremely hot and sunny -- the lack of water on a hot day would've been horrible. Citrus Bowl, next year PLEASE have tents set up selling only water and soda. People are willing to pay your ridiculous prices for it, so why not make it readily available? You could've sold double what you did.

  • Good game, but

    by Huson on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 3 out of 5

    January 1 bowl. Very little college game day atmosphere outside stadium. No food or drink or other vendors outside. The alumni tents are for the rich. Once inside, very poor concessions at ridiculous prices. Remodeled stadium is nice but for a bowl game, need many more amenities at affordable prices. Game was good. Minnesota band was good.

  • Citrus Bowl

    by MinnesotaMade on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 3 out of 5

    Our seats were good, and the chairs were comfortable so very happy with that. One strange thing that we have never seen before is that there was a line to the mens room where there was none to the ladies room! Seems the facilities were lacking for the men? The sound system could have been a bit better, but overall the experience was fun. The weather being nice was crucial. If only Minnesota had won the game, this review would be five stars! Ha ha, just kidding. Food was lacking. Paid $4.50 for a hot dog that was so skinny it was lost in the bun. Ate popcorn to try to fill the gap. Could have had better selections/prices. Actually, since it was the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, we had been hoping to munch on Buffalo Wild Wings!!

  • First Class Event Despite Loss

    by jsimple3 on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 5 out of 5

    Had a lot of fun! Stadium has just been remodeled and the Citrus Bowl people run a first class event. Easy to park, with a great shuttle operation. Team lost, but had a great time anyway.

  • 2014 Citrus Bowl

    by Billey6254829793847625154 on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 4 out of 5

    Great game. Beautiful weather. Do not pay for parking from the citrus bowl. They overfilled the lot I had reserved (and already paid for) so I had to park in a further away lot. There are Closer private lots for as low as $15. I paid $32 for a lot that was not truly reserved.

  • Great Atmosphere

    by dgsett on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 4 out of 5

    This was the first Buffalo Wings Bowl in a newly rennovated stadium. Staff very friendly and courteous.

  • Citrus Bowl was terrific

    by JimfromSC on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 5 out of 5

    Venue was redone for 2015 game. great seats. easy shuttle from downtown to venue.

  • new stadium was nice

    by abram1774 on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 4 out of 5

    Stadium was nice but the food I would not feed to my Dog and not a buffalo wild wing in sight !!! what that all about !!!!

  • Revamped Citrus Bowl...

    by TonyAgent on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 5 out of 5

    The event was great... The facility is fantastic. The 200 million dollar renovation was worth every penny. Upgraded food concessions and restroom locations better than expected.

  • Citrus Bowl

    by Anonymous on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 5 out of 5

    My wife and I are Minnesota alum. Went down on a lark. It was so much fun. Sat in the Missouri section. It was a blast. People really friendly just enjoying the game. I would recommend going to a bowl game of your liking just to have fun.

  • Game was fun, perfect seats, perfect weather

    by annmarieg on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 4 out of 5

    The only reason I gave this 4 stars is because my team lost! We had perfect seats the weather couldn't have been nicer, parking was $25 close to the stadium, had we wanted to walk a little there was parking for $10. Traffic wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, we made good time in and out. This was my first bowl game it was more fun than some NFL games I've been to.

  • by Shaquille on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 5 out of 5

    Great seats, food and environment. Location and access was easy

  • by Anonymous on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 1 out of 5

    Horrible food vendor. Food stands were understaffed, not well managed and completely inadequate for the demand. Restroom facilities were not maintained during the game and floors were soaking wet by half time. Spent a total of 40 minutes in line to get food and never was able to buy any. Game was great, weather was great and the parking shuttle program was excellent. It's not suppose to be about the chicken finger basket, I get that, but it was so poorly executed I was embarrassed for the event.

  • by Anonymous on 1/4/15Orlando Citrus Bowl - OrlandoRating: 5 out of 5

    The new Citrus bowl is amazing well done Orlando can't wait to come again