AutoZone Liberty Bowl

PRE-GAME SHOW
Keith Renard PRE GAME 7 edit

Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell performs the National Anthem prior to the 57th AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

One of the great traditions of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl is the annual recognition and celebration of American patriotism during the Pre-Game Show. The field is filled with red, white and blue decorations and performers, as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl delivers a rousing, patriotic pre-game show featuring an extraordinary National Anthem performance.

During the Pre-Game Show, members of the Tennessee Air National Guard (TANG) escort Miss AutoZone Liberty Bowl and other Homecoming USA attendants onto the field. Each attendant is a Homecoming Queen who was invited to represent her community and state in this national program.

The winner of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School Marching Band Field Competition also performs during the pre-game festivities. The winning high school band will have competed in the Worldstrides Heritage Performance Programs field competition during bowl week which involved dozens of bands from throughout the United States vying for the opportunity to perform during the pre-game festivities.

Joining many performers on the field are honorary captains representing the AutoZone Liberty Bowl's valued corporate partners.

BOWL WEEK FESTIVAL EVENTS

TEAM WELCOME PARTY

Parade

Enjoy a great dinner as the participating teams are welcomed to Memphis. Be part of this fun night out!

Date & Time: Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - Time TBD
Location: TBD

Tickets Available Only in Select Action Packs

For more information, call the ticket office at (901) 795-7700

PRO RODEO

The 2025 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Professional Rodeo will feature top performers from around the country competing in events such as Bull Riding, Bareback Bronc Riding, Steer Wrestling and Barrel Racing, all from inside the friendly confines of the Agricenter Show Place Arena.

Date & Time: Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - 7 P.M. CT
Locations: Agricenter Show Place Arena
Tickets: $20 Adults - $5 for kids 10 and under

General Admission Seating

Presenting Partner:

FCA BREAKFAST

Date & Time: Wednesday, December 31, 2025 - 8:30 A.M. - BREAKFAST - 9 A.M. - PROGRAM
Location: Hilton Memphis Hotel

FCA Breakfast Ticket Information: For ticket and sponsorship information call the FCA office at (901) 683-3399 or email at memphisfca@fca.org. Additional details and information can be found by visiting the MemphisFCA.org website.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), together with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, are pleased to announce that former NFL and college head coach Chan Gailey will be the featured speaker at this year’s FCA / AutoZone Liberty Bowl Breakfast.

BEALE STREET PARADE

The Beale Street Parade is sponsored by the Beale Street Merchants Association.

Parade

Be part of the fun at one of Downtown's signature events as floats, high school, and university marching bands perform along historic Beale Street in the Home of the Blues.

Date & Time: Thursday, January 1, 2026 - 3 P.M. CT
Location: World Famous Beale Street - Admission is FREE

BASH ON BEALE PEP RALLY

The Bash on Beale Pep Rally is sponsored by the Beale Street Merchants Association

2013 Pep Rally Webuse

Join fans from the competing teams for this exciting pep rally and then enjoy a festive time on World Famous Beale Street the night before the game!

Date & Time: Thursday, January 1, 2026 - 4:30 P.M. CT
Location: Handy Park on Beale Street - Admission is FREE

PRESIDENT'S GALA

Gala

The President's Gala is the premier party of the holiday season. The head coaches' wives will be honored and University dignitaries will be recognized. A cocktail reception is followed by an elegant dinner, open bar, and a performance by Country Music Star Matt Stell! Put on your party clothes and enjoy a lively night of food, drink, dancing, and "the music that made Memphis" at the historic Peabody Hotel.

Stell will receive the award and perform at the President’s Gala on January 1, 2026 at The Peabody. He will also perform at halftime of the 67^th AutoZone Liberty Bowl game on January 2, 2026.

Stell has quickly made his mark on Country music as one of only nine artists in the past six years to have consecutive #1s with two back-to-back chart-toppers: 2-Time Platinum song “Prayed For You” and Platinum hit “Everywhere But On”.

Stell’s debut album, Born Lonely, features the Top 20 hit Country radio single, “Breakin’ In Boots”. He has amassed over half a billion global career streams and is the first-ever artist to receive a virtual plaque from the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for multi-week hit “Prayed For You”. Stell is also an ASCAP Pop and Country most-performed song awards winner.

Date & Time: Thursday, January 1, 2026 - 6:00 P.M. CT
Location: The Peabody Hotel
Tickets: $250 Per Person, $2,500 Table For 10

For more information call the ticket office at 901-795-7700

PEPSI PRE-GAME PARTY

Adjacent to the stadium, this is one of the largest and most enjoyable pre-game parties in the nation. The Pepsi Pre-Game Party provides an all-you-can-eat and drink buffet with great live entertainment. From here, make the short walk to the stadium for kickoff. It’s a great way to get ready for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl!

Date & Time: Friday, January 2, 2026 - Noon - 2:30 P.M. CT
Location: Pipkin & Creative Arts Buildings
Tickets: $50

GOLD STAR FAMILIES MARCH

Join the Woody Williams Foundation, Gold Star Families, and community members for the Gold Star Families March. This patriotic and unifying event honors the Loved Ones of Gold Star Families, concluding at the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument outside Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Open to all attending the AutoZone Liberty Bowl game, the march serves as a powerful tribute to our nation’s fallen heroes and our courageous veterans who have served in our nation's military.

Date & Time: Friday, January 2, 2026 - 2 P.M. CT
Starting Location: Memphis Sports and Events Complex

995 Early Maxwell Blvd., Memphis, TN 38104
Admission is Free

67th AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL

Lazard Trophy Post Game

Celebrate the patriotic spirit of America at our tradition-rich bowl game featuring two of the top teams in college football!

Date & Time: Friday, January 2, 2026 at 3:30 P.M. CT
Location: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
Tickets: CLICK HERE
FOR INFORMATION, CALL THE TICKET OFFICE AT (901) 795-7700

MISS AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL 2016

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Sylandi Brown has been selected Miss AutoZone Liberty Bowl for 2016. She was crowned Georgia’s Miss Homecoming Queen in Hawkinsville, Georgia last fall and competed with other homecoming queens from across America for the title of Miss AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Sylandi is a freshman at Valdosta State University where she is majoring in speech communications.

57th AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL

MOST VIEWED BOWL ON ESPN OTHER THAN NEW YEAR’S SIX GAMES

The January 2, 2016, AutoZone Liberty Bowl game between Arkansas and Kansas State was the most viewed non-New Year’s Six bowl game on ESPN among households and the most viewed AutoZone Liberty Bowl ever on ESPN among households and P2+.

The AutoZone Liberty Bowl game and all of its related events were also massive successes with great attendance. All of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl’s events were sold out, including the AutoZone Liberty Bowl game. A crowd of 61,136 saw the Razorbacks defeat the Wildcats 45-23.

“This year’s AutoZone Liberty Bowl will go down as the largest economic impact of any sports event in the history of Memphis,” said Kevin Kane, President and CEO of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau. “With the incredible popularity of all the AutoZone Liberty Bowl’s events and activities, many hotels were sold out across the city as thousands of out of town visitors descended on our community from Kansas State and Arkansas.”

While the AutoZone Liberty Bowl was impactful across the entire Memphis community, perhaps the largest impact was in the downtown and Beale Street area. On January 1, the day before the game, thousands of K-State fans packed AutoZone Park for the Wildcats’ pep rally. The festive events then moved to Beale Street for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl Parade and Bash On Beale pep rally and battle of the bands.

“The AutoZone Liberty Bowl set new records for Beale Street as thousands of visiting fans from Kansas State and Arkansas came to town early and celebrated on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and on game day,” said Sandy Robertson, President of the Beale Street Merchants Association. “We’ve had many huge AutoZone Liberty Bowls over the years, but this was the biggest and best bowl week ever.”