Upcoming Kentucky Wildcats Football dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
The Kroger Field seat in brief
For a Kentucky Wildcats home game, the seat to reserve is on the sideline between the 30-yard lines. If that is beyond your budget, a high sideline row is usually a better buy than a low end-zone row, because Kroger Field holds about 61,000 and its upper seats are not far from the field. Corners near the goal line are the middle option.
Kentucky plays at Kroger Field on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington. Home games usually run from early September to late November, and the stadium is one of the smaller venues in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
An enclosed oval, area by area
The stadium opened in 1973 with open ends. In 1999 both end zones were closed in and 40 suites added, 10 in each corner, turning it into a symmetrical oval. A renovation finished before the 2015 season brought a new press box, loge boxes, club seats and more suites and trimmed capacity to about 61,000.
- Sideline, 30 to 30: the best overall view and the priciest area on resale. The 2015 club seats and loge boxes are sold by the athletics department and rarely show up on the open market.
- Corners: a good angle on plays coming toward that end zone, usually cheaper than the sideline, with the 1999 corner suites overhead.
- End zones: seats now wrap all the way around the field; the usual value choice for a big game.
- Upper sideline: far less remote than the upper rows of a 90,000-seat SEC bowl, and often the smartest compromise.
Kroger Field seats with a catch
- Low end-zone rows: close to touchdowns at your end, but the far end of the field is hard to read.
- Sections next to the visiting block: the athletics department places allotments for students and for the visiting team's fans. Check the current seating map so you do not land among fans you did not mean to sit with.
- Any seat at an early-season day game without sun protection: no detailed shade map or orientation guide is published, so assume either side may be in the sun.
Louisville, Tennessee and the crowd-drawing games
- Louisville: Kentucky's biggest game, played for the Governor's Cup. Renewed in 1994 after a long gap, the current series has been competitive and alternates between Lexington and Louisville.
- Tennessee: Kentucky's longest-running SEC series. Tennessee leads by a wide margin; a wooden beer barrel was the trophy from 1925 until it was retired in 1997, and a 10–7 Kentucky victory in 2011 snapped years of defeats.
- Florida: the Gators won 31 straight meetings from 1987 through 2017 before Kentucky broke through in 2018; the series has been tighter since.
- Vanderbilt: an annual game since 1953, alternating between Lexington and Nashville.
The record crowds tell the story: 71,022 for Tennessee in 1999, then 71,024 for Florida in 2007, both before the 2015 renovation reduced capacity. Expect the strongest demand for Louisville and Tennessee in their Lexington years, any top-10 opponent and night kickoffs. Early nonconference games are usually the easiest seats of the season.
Getting Kentucky seats
Most of Kroger Field is held by season-ticket accounts, with seat priority based on donations to the athletics booster program, and students draw from their own allotment. By the time single games go on public sale, prime sideline seats for the Louisville or Tennessee game, or another headline opponent, are seldom still available.
That is why many fans buy big-game seats on resale. Prices follow the opponent, both teams' records, the kickoff time and the late-November forecast. In a stadium this size, supply for a high-demand game dries up fast, while early-season games often have good sideline seats at modest resale prices. Every Reserved Seat order is covered by a 100% guarantee. Staff and rosters change from year to year; for the current coaching staff and schedule, use ukathletics.com.
Fireworks, lights and tailgates
Since 1999, fireworks have gone up from the suite level when the Wildcats run onto the field, each time Kentucky scores and once more after a victory. LED lighting installed in 2024 lets the stadium stage light displays during stoppages and after touchdowns, a big part of the appeal of a night kickoff, and the video boards, 37 by 100 feet, date to 2022.
Tailgaters set up in the parking areas off Alumni Drive and University Drive. Who parks where, how big a tent can be and which pass you need all depend on donor standing, and the rules are revised season to season. UK has posted a clear-bag requirement for the stadium in recent years. Before you leave, read the latest bag, parking and phone-ticket details on the UK Athletics Kroger Field page before you go.
Games that made the stadium's name
- Opening day, September 15, 1973: a 31–26 win over Virginia Tech christened what was then Commonwealth Stadium, built with 57,800 seats.
- The Bluegrass Miracle, November 9, 2002: LSU won 33–30 on a deflected 74-yard Hail Mary with no time left.
- Arkansas, 2003: a game that needed seven overtimes.
- No. 1 LSU, October 13, 2007: a 43–37 triple-overtime upset of the top-ranked Tigers.
- 2018: a 10-win season that ended the Florida streak, included a 56–10 win over Louisville and finished with a Citrus Bowl victory over Penn State.
By original construction date, Kroger Field is the newest stadium in the SEC. Its 2017 renaming was the conference's first stadium naming-rights deal, and the playing surface is called the C. M. Newton Grounds.
Bryant, 1950 and the Kentucky record
Kentucky first played in 1881, one of the earliest starts in college football, and joined the SEC in 1932. Bear Bryant coached in Lexington from 1946 through 1953, and his 1950 team won the SEC, finished 11–1 and stopped top-ranked Oklahoma's 31-game win streak with a 13–7 Sugar Bowl victory. Kentucky claims the 1950 national championship. The 1976 SEC title came later, granted retroactively in 1978.
Blue and white became the school colors in 1891, and the crowd sings "On, On, U of K" as the fight song. Pro Football Hall of Famer George Blanda, a quarterback and kicker, played at Kentucky. Through recent seasons the program had made 23 bowl appearances with a 12–11 record.
Frequently asked questions
Is an upper-level seat at Kroger Field worth it?
Often, yes. With about 61,000 seats, the upper sideline is closer than in the SEC's biggest stadiums, and it usually shows more of the game than a low end-zone seat.
Are corner seats good at Kroger Field?
They are a solid middle option: a useful angle on plays toward that end zone, usually at a lower price than the sideline.
Which games are hardest to get in Lexington?
Louisville and Tennessee in years they visit Lexington, top-10 opponents and night games. Early nonconference games are usually the easiest.
Does Kroger Field still use fireworks?
Yes. Since 1999, fireworks launch from the suite level when the team enters, after Kentucky scores and after wins, and LED light shows were added in 2024.
What was the Bluegrass Miracle?
LSU's 33–30 win at the stadium on November 9, 2002, decided by a deflected 74-yard Hail Mary on the final play.
Is Kroger Field the same as Commonwealth Stadium?
Yes. It opened as Commonwealth Stadium in 1973 and became Kroger Field in 2017, the first stadium naming-rights deal in the SEC.