JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville is going without the Georgia-Florida football game this weekend, a first in over 30 years, and downtown businesses say they are already feeling the gap.
Last year the rivalry weekend produced $45 million in total economic impact, $26 million of it spent directly by visitors. The game left town for two seasons while EverBank Stadium is under construction. It is being played in Atlanta this year and goes to Tampa in 2027, then comes back to Jacksonville in 2028.
RV City, the tailgating camp that normally fills the lots outside the stadium during game week, sits empty. Restaurant and bar managers downtown have reported slower sales all week as the usual wave of out-of-town fans never arrived.
Katie Mitura, chief marketing officer at Visit Jacksonville, said the tourism agency has spent years preparing and set out to replace about 125,000 hotel room nights a year while the game is gone, by going after conferences, new sporting events and new festivals. She called it one of the best weekends of the year and said the city will be ready when the game returns.
The stadium is not dark all weekend. The Jaguars play at EverBank Stadium on Sunday for the first time since Sept. 27, hosting the Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m. in an AFC South game. Jacksonville, at 4-2, has won 11 straight home games against the 2-5 Colts dating to 2015, a streak that includes one game in London.
Some downtown spots plan to show the Georgia-Florida game on their screens Saturday to give fans a place to gather.
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