Florida Gators

This Labor Day weekend is expected to be one of the busiest times for Gainesville merchants. As the Gators play their first football game of the season on Saturday, businesses have taken steps to prepare for the onslaught of visitors.

Florida men's basketball beat LSU 79-61 on Tuesday at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.

Fittingly backed by the tune of Louis Armstrong's “When the Saints Go Marching In,” the Florida Men’s Basketball team strolled into the East Room of the White House on Wednesday to be recognized for their NCAA championship win in April.

It was the scream heard ‘round Gainesville and, perhaps, all of collegiate sports. A thunderous clangor rang out from the more than 11,000 fans wedged together at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The national championship returned to Gainesville for the first time since 2014, and UF students greeted it with a deafening roar.

With new merchandise dropping, watch parties filling up fast and bars quickly selling out entry tickets, Gainesville is buzzing as the Gators reach the semifinals for the first time in 11 years.

The annual Florida-Georgia rivalry will take a break from its traditional home and be played at NFL venues while EverBank Stadium is undergoing a $1.4 billion renovation.

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