Military Bowl 2025: Date, Tickets & Tailgate

Taking place in the heart of Naptown, the annual Military Bowl will kick off on Saturday, December 28 at 5:45 pm. This time-honored tradition occurs annually at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, featuring a matchup between teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the American Athletic Conference (AAC).

Aiming to honor the nation’s current and former service members, and positively impact the region’s economy, the National Capital Region’s postseason bowl game is just under a week away! The Pirates of East Carolina (7-5) will face off against the NC State Wolfpack (6-6), televised nationally on ESPN+. East Carolina will be on the Gold side of the stadium, while NC State will be on the Navy side.

Striving to support local businesses and provide extra opportunities to the region’s community, food and drink will be provided by several local restaurants, including Miss Shirley’s, which was a crowd favorite at the 2023 game.

Looking to get into the game-day spirit early? The Pub Crawl will feature a group of participating restaurants and bars in downtown Annapolis, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm on December 27th. “A Budweiser Clydesdale Miracle on West Street”, will take place from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, providing the perfect sneak peek at the renowned Clydesdales, surrounded with games, food, drinks, activities, and more.

The game day festivities will kick off early, with a tailgate full of food, drinks, military displays, and more. Featuring the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales, the Military Bowl Parade begins at 2:00 pm and is free to all. Starting at City Dock in downtown Annapolis and concluding at the stadium, this 90-minute family-friendly event will have fans and locals flooding the streets to see participating team marching bands, Medal of Honor recipients, local youth and military groups, and more!

Simultaneously, the official Zero Waste Tailgate Festival will take place at 2:00 pm in the stadium’s Blue Lot. From giveaways to photo opportunities, this free event will host several booths offering local food, drink, merchandise, and more. In partnership with Annapolis Green, the 2024 Military Bowl has a goal of producing zero waste throughout the event. In 2023, the initiative led to over 2 tons of waste being diverted from entering into landfills. 

Individual tailgating is not allowed at the Navy-Memorial Marine Corps Stadium, and only small grills are permitted. Individual tailgating must be done at an off-site lot. Parking lots will open at 11:00 am for RV’s, with all other gates opening at noon. Parking can be purchased for $60 onsite, via credit card, if not sold out prior to the game day. ADA parking will be available and accessible at gates 2 and 6. Satellite parking will be available for $25 at three locations: Germantown Elementary School, Phoenix Academy, and Studio 39. 

Tickets can be purchased here, with proceeds going to Patriot Point, the Military Bowl Project’s retreat that hosts wounded, ill and injured service members along with their families. Tickets will be delivered digitally to the email address used and can be printed out or scanned from your digital device at the stadium.