Skull Sessions with the OSU Marching Band at Ohio State University football games are BACK for 2021! Plus, you can watch TBDBITL rehearse before the season starts!
Read below for details on how you can watch The Ohio State Marching Band this year – for free!
Ohio State Football Tickets can be hard to come by and expensive. You can still get into the game spirit by attending TBDBITL Skull Sessions before each home game at St. Johns Arena with the Ohio State Marching Band. It’s one of the most anticipated parts of game day!
photo courtesy: The Ohio State University Marching Band
Heading down to campus? Check out our guide to Ohio State Football Games and Tailgating on OSU Campus.
TBDBITL Rehearsals
Starting August 24, you can catch The Ohio State University Band daily rehearsals from 4:10-6:15 pm at Lincoln Tower Field just south of Ohio Stadium. Stop by and see why they are called “The Best Damn Band in the Land”!
Rehearsals are great for those who want enjoy the band, but can’t make it to Skull Sessions or football games. Weekday rehearsals last through the whole season, but may be impacted by weather and holidays.
Skull Sessions with The Ohio State Marching Band
This pre-game pep rally and concert will get you ready to cheer on those Buckeyes – and best of all – it’s FREE!
The band marches from Ohio Stadium to St. John Arena 2.5 hours before the start of the game, where they’ll entertain at the Skull Session, featuring the coaches and the Ohio State Buckeye Football Team, along with special guest bands. The sessions start 2 hours and 20 minutes before kickoff.
Coach Ryan Day and the football team arrive as the band plays “Fanfare for a New Era” to speak briefly to the fans before they head to the locker rooms. The band continues to entertain and performs a final musical run-through of its pregame and halftime shows, previewing the soundtrack the band will be performing in The ‘Shoe that day.
Seats are in demand, so you may want to arrive early! Doors open 2 hours before each session begins. After the Skull Session, they’ll march back to Ohio Stadium for the pregame show and the Ohio State Buckeye football game and amazing halftime show.
Before you enter St. John Arena, you’ll go through security screen and inspection through a metal detector. No bags permitted in the Arena; only wristlets/wallets no larger than 5x8x1 are allowed. All staff and guests are required to wear masks. The Marching Band and the football team will wear masks when not speaking or performing.
Parking in the area is not free on game day, but scope out free or cheap parking, ride the bus, or hop on the Olentangy Bike Trail (which leads to campus).
See article announcing the band and Skull Sessions. Follow along of TBDBITL Facebook page for updates and announcements.
2021 Skull Sessions at Ohio State Football home games
- September 11: 9:40 a.m. (Oregon at noon)
- September 18: 1:10 p.m. (Tulsa at 3:30 pm)
- September 25: time tba (Akron at tba)
- October 9: 9:40 a.m. (Maryland at noon)
- October 30: 5:10 p.m. (Penn State at 7:30 pm)
- November 13: 1:10 pm (Purdue at 3:30 pm)
- November 20: 9:40 a.m. (Michigan State at noon)
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admin says
I’m not affiliated with the event, but I do know that parking passes aren’t typically free (or easy to get) on game day, and you’d likely need to bring your own wheelchair. There are tens of thousands of people on campus for game day and it’s not possible for the University to accommodate everyone who may need assistance. Perhaps if you call the university, you’ll be able to find a more accurate answer.
Cathy Drake says
Is there handicap parking for skull sessions and a wheelchair to take me up to the doors?