Celebration Bowl 2026 in Atlanta (Dec. 12): Kickoff, Tickets, Fan Fest, MARTA and Bag Rules

Game date, kickoff, the championship-week schedule and ticket rules come from the bowl’s own site (thecelebrationbowl.com) and its Ticketmaster event page; parking, MARTA, rideshare and bag rules from Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s event page (checked October 13, 2026). We don’t sell tickets and link to no resale sites. The stadium hosts the SEC Championship Game the Saturday before, Dec. 5.

Celebration Bowl 2026 at a glance

Question	Answer
When?	Saturday, December 12, 2026, kickoff 12 p.m. ET (the stadium’s own page still lists gates and start as TBA)
Where?	Mercedes-Benz Stadium, downtown Atlanta
Who plays?	The MEAC champion vs. the SWAC champion, for the HBCU football national championship
Tickets	Digital tickets only, sold through Ticketmaster from the bowl’s ticket page; prices vary by seat
Kids	Everyone needs a ticket except children shorter than 33 inches, per the Ticketmaster event page
Before the game	Coca-Cola Fan Experience, 8:30–11:30 a.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center, Hall A, plus college and high school band jamborees
Getting there	MARTA to SEC District Station, $2.50 each way; parking must be pre-bought and often sells out
Bags	Clear bag up to 12 × 6 × 12 in., or a small bag up to 4.5 × 6.5 in. carried with it

Who plays in the 2026 Celebration Bowl?

Not decided yet. The game matches the champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), and the bowl bills it as the HBCU National Championship. The bowl’s site says it is celebrating 10 years of MEAC–SWAC championship football. Both teams are known once the two conferences crown their champions; we add the matchup here as soon as it is set.

What happens during Celebration Bowl week?

The bowl publishes a championship-week schedule (thecelebrationbowl.com/schedule, “subject to change”). The events open to fans are on Friday night and Saturday morning:

Day	Time (ET)	Event	Where
Fri., Dec. 11	7 p.m.	Red Lobster Band of the Year (sold separately – the stadium lists its own tickets)	Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Sat., Dec. 12	8:30–11:30 a.m.	Coca-Cola Fan Experience	Georgia World Congress Center, Hall A
Sat., Dec. 12	9–9:30 a.m.	College Band Jamboree	Game-day schedule
Sat., Dec. 12	10–10:30 a.m.	High School Band Jamboree	Game-day schedule
Sat., Dec. 12	12 p.m.	2026 Cricket Celebration Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Stadium

The rest of the week is for the teams: arrivals at the Omni Atlanta at Centennial Park on Wednesday, Dec. 9, a welcome dinner at the World of Coca-Cola, a showcase dinner at the College Football Hall of Fame on Thursday and the SWAC Hall of Fame induction on Friday.

The bowl’s Know Before You Go page also lists merchant vending from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and again from 3 to 5 p.m. on game day. Whether the Fan Experience needs a game ticket isn’t stated – not yet announced, we check weekly.

How do you get Celebration Bowl tickets?

• Official seller: the bowl’s ticket page sends you to Ticketmaster. Tickets are digital only; no paper tickets are printed, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium is an electronic-ticket venue.
• Prices: set by seat on Ticketmaster and subject to change. Ticket promotions apply to online orders only, per the bowl.
• Club seats: sections 110 and 128 are all-inclusive until the end of the first quarter; club sections 108, 109, 111, 112, 126, 127, 129 and 130 are not (food and drink cost extra). Suites are sold separately through the stadium’s suites site.
• Kids: every fan needs a ticket except children shorter than 33 inches, per the Ticketmaster event page.
• Resale: Ticketmaster warns resale prices may exceed face value. We don’t link to resale sites.

How do you get to Mercedes-Benz Stadium?

• MARTA (the stadium’s top pick): $2.50 each way to SEC District Station, formerly GWCC/CNN Center, at the stadium’s front door. (The bowl’s own page still uses the station’s old name.)
• Parking: pre-buy at parking.mercedesbenzstadium.com. The stadium says there are more than 20,000 spaces within a 20-minute walk and that parking often sells out before an event.
• Rideshare: Zone 1 is GWCC Bus Lane C on Northside Drive (best from Gate 1, heading north); Zone 2 is on Broad Street between Trinity and Mitchell streets (best from Gates 2–4, toward the airport and the interstates). Each is about a 10-minute walk. If rideshare waits are long, the stadium suggests Vine City Station (Blue/Green Line) or Garnett Station (Red/Gold Line).
• Entry: any gate; suite and club holders can also use the North Club Entrance, and floor-seat holders must use the floor line near Gate 1.

Driving to downtown Atlanta from	Miles	Drive time (no traffic)
Macon	85	1h 40m
Columbus	108	2h 06m
Chattanooga, Tenn.	115	2h 10m
Birmingham, Ala.	146	2h 47m
Augusta	150	2h 49m
Savannah	250	4h 38m
Jacksonville, Fla.	346	6h 22m

Measured to the Georgia Aquarium, a few blocks from the stadium, with free-flow OpenStreetMap routing (collected September 29, 2026) and no traffic model. Game-day traffic will add a lot. Full table: Georgia drive times.

What can you bring into the stadium?

• Clear bags: clear plastic, vinyl or PVC up to 12 × 6 × 12 inches (clear backpacks, fanny packs and cinch bags included if they fit), or a one-gallon clear freezer bag. No buckles, hardware or décor covering any part of the bag.
• Small bag: a non-clear bag up to 4.5 × 6.5 inches, carried with a clear bag.
• Everything else is turned away. The stadium recommends bringing no bag at all for the quickest entry.

Is the Celebration Bowl a good trip with kids?

• An early start: the noon kickoff means a daytime game, and the morning band jamborees and Fan Experience come before it.
• Tickets: children shorter than 33 inches get in free; everyone else needs a ticket.
• Accessibility: the stadium links an accessibility and mobility guide from its event page.
• Weather: the game is indoors. Outside, NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals give Atlanta a December average high of 56.2°F and low of 38.4°F, so bring a layer for the walk from MARTA. See Georgia weather by month.
• Make a weekend of it: Garden Lights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden runs nightly from Nov. 14, and Stone Mountain Christmas is on weekends. More: Christmas in Georgia and Georgia Christmas lights.

FAQ

When is the 2026 Celebration Bowl?

Saturday, December 12, 2026, at noon ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, per the bowl’s site and its Ticketmaster page. The stadium’s own event page still lists gates and start time as TBA (checked October 13, 2026).

Who plays in the Celebration Bowl?

The champion of the MEAC plays the champion of the SWAC for the HBCU football national championship. The 2026 teams are known once both conferences crown their champions.

How do I buy Celebration Bowl tickets?

Through Ticketmaster, linked from the ticket page on thecelebrationbowl.com. Tickets are digital only, prices vary by seat, and children shorter than 33 inches do not need a ticket.

Is there a fan fest at the Celebration Bowl?

Yes. The bowl’s schedule lists the Coca-Cola Fan Experience from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on game day at the Georgia World Congress Center, Hall A, and its game-day schedule adds college and high school band jamborees before the noon kickoff.

What is the bag policy for the Celebration Bowl?

Mercedes-Benz Stadium allows clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags up to 12 × 6 × 12 inches or a one-gallon clear freezer bag, plus a small non-clear bag up to 4.5 × 6.5 inches. Other bags are turned away.

What is the best way to get to the Celebration Bowl?

MARTA: $2.50 each way to SEC District Station, next to the stadium. Parking has to be bought in advance at parking.mercedesbenzstadium.com and often sells out.

How we checked this guide: Dates, hours, admission and parking prices, and access details were verified against the official sources listed below on October 13, 2026. Operators change schedules and raise prices without notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you drive. The figures in this guide also feed our Georgia Attraction Transparency Index and Family Day-Out Cost Index.

Sources

• Cricket Celebration Bowl — home page (date, kickoff, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 10 years of MEAC–SWAC championship football)
• Cricket Celebration Bowl — Ticket information (digital tickets, all-inclusive and club sections, parking link)
• Cricket Celebration Bowl — Event schedule, Dec. 9–12, 2026
• Cricket Celebration Bowl — Know Before You Go (game-day schedule, bag policy)
• Ticketmaster — 2026 Cricket Celebration Bowl event page (Sat., Dec. 12, 2026, 12:00 PM; ticket rule for children under 33 inches)
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Cricket Celebration Bowl event page (gates and start TBA, parking, MARTA, rideshare, bag policy, entry)
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Upcoming events (Band of the Year, Dec. 11, 7 p.m.)
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Parking
• It’s Georgia — Georgia Drive Times (OSRM free-flow, collected September 29, 2026)
• It’s Georgia — Georgia Weather by Month (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Atlanta Hartsfield)

Checked on October 13, 2026 against the bowl’s site, Ticketmaster and the stadium’s page. The matchup, gate time and fan-event details will change; we re-check this guide every week until game day.