Originally, gathering in The Grove was an informal tailgating get-together when most serious pre-game socializing took place at the fraternity and sorority houses. By the 1950s, the Grove started to become its own pregame tradition. Automobiles, including RV campers, have been kept out of The Grove since a rainstorm in 1991 that reduced the Grove to a rutted swamp. The autos were replaced by tents. As a result of fans claiming certain areas within The Grove for their tents, and often being angered when they arrived and found another person in "their spot." The Ole Miss Alumni Association's Grove Society began in 1998 to preserve the green space. The Grove Society posts a strict schedule for the event.
Game day
Described as "the of tailgating sites" by Sporting News, The Grove comes to life for Ole Miss Rebels football home games with as many as 100,000 fans. Fans arrive often around noon the day before the game to grab their spot in The Grove. This usually serene area of campus becomes a sea of red, white and blue tents. However, most of the tents are set up by professional tailgate vendors and not the students or families themselves. Ole Miss students generally dress in their Sunday best: Men wear slacks, button-up shirts, bow ties, Sperry Top Siders, and coats while women wear cocktail dresses or brightly colored sundresses and high heel shoes. Some older fans also dress in this style. Many tents are set up with fine kitchenware, with lots of lace and designer doilies, fine china, chandeliers, sterling silver or silver-plated candelabras and sterling silver or silver-plated utensils along with chandeliers in some tents. Much of the food is laid out on table cloths in sterling silver or silver-plated servers. The food fare often consists of hors d'oeuvres, but as with most tailgating parties, barbecue still has authority. There's also traditional Southern food, including fried chicken, pork, homemade dressings, mashed potatoes and stuffed eggs. However, open flame and propane grills are not allowed in the Grove, so food is not actually allowed to be cooked at the tailgates Former Ole Miss football quarterback Eli Manning shared his times in The Grove as a child and as a former student:
Legendary
ranked The Grove as the number two college football tailgating spot in the country. In its review, it said: Additionally, Sports Illustrated ranked The Grove number one. In its review, it said: The New York Times called The Grove "the mother and mistress of outdoor ritual mayhem": A common saying by "grovers" is "We may not win every game, but we've never lost a party." Joe Cahn, known as "The Commissioner of Tailgating", said after his 2003 Tailgating tour that The Grove is "probably the most single outstanding tailgating area in the country." He continued: The Columbia Missourian newspaper called The Grove, "the mecca of tailgating in American sports."
Walk of Champions
When Billy Brewer became head football coach in 1983, he was looking for a way to give fame to the football team. He would take them on a different route each game. Brewer would walk the team from Kinard Hall, the athletic dormitory, across campus to Vaught–Hemingway Stadium. In 1985, Brewer decided on a specific route so that the fans could always see the players. Every Saturday the team would divide The Grove on the east side of the Student Union and then continue down a sidewalk in the middle of the Grove. Ole Miss fans swarm both sides of the sidewalk in order to greet the players with loud cheers before the game. The overly excited fans reach out and touch the players as they pass before them. As the tradition continued, the ironically named "Walk of Champions" arch was built in the fall of 1998 on the east side of The Grove. The 1962 football team, which is the only team in Ole Miss football history to finish with a perfect record, gave the arch to the University. The 1962 team won the SEC title and was also named National Champion by the Litkenhous Ratings. However, none of the four major selectors named the Rebels as their national champions in 1962.
Grove Bowl
The Grove Bowl is the name of the annual spring intrasquad scrimmage in Vaught–Hemingway Stadium. The game is played between the "Red" squad and the "Blue" squad. Ole Miss football players are assigned to a squad by the coaches and then play a full-contact game. Tickets are sold to the game. A school-record Grove Bowl crowd of 28,375 fans attended the 2009 Grove Bowl. Tailgating in The Grove also takes place at the Grove Bowl.
Off-Season Events
Even though the Grove is known for its great tailgating spot during Ole Miss football season, it also hosts many events throughout the year. Every year, the city of Oxford hosts an event known as the Lafayette-Oxford-University Summer Sunset Series. This event takes place throughout the Ole Miss campus. On June 12, 2011, Kenny Brown performed in the Grove for the Summer Sunset Series. On June 10, 2012, Silas Reed N'Da Books performed for this event in the grove as well. Each year different performers perform in the Grove for the residents of Oxford and the Ole Miss community. As well as the Summer Sunset Series, there are also many different concerts that happen in the Grove thanks to the Student Activities Association at Ole Miss. In 2014 on a Friday night, Nelly performed in the Grove for hundreds of Ole Miss students. In 2015, the Student Activities Association set up a concert in the Grove where Thomas Rhett performed during the day and into the night.
