The Cricket Celebration Bowl will be televised live on ABC for the ninth consecutive time, kicking off at noon ET, on Saturday, Dec. 14, from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Cricket Celebration Bowl, which features the conference champions from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is the HBCU Football National Championship game. The MEAC leads the series 6-2 with the SWAC winning the 2023 contest as Florida A&M defeated Howard 30-26 in a hard-fought contest. The game is scheduled for the first time in week 2 of December. The new date and time return the Cricket Celebration Bowl to the official opening game time slot of the college football bowl season.
“The decision to move the Cricket Celebration Bowl to the second Saturday in December is truly a game-changer, said John T. Grant, Executive Director. By aligning with the start of the college football bowl season and avoiding the expansion games of the college football playoffs and NFL, the Celebration Bowl has carved its own niche in the bowl season calendar.”
Tickets for the game, a full ancillary event schedule and discounted rates at downtown Atlanta hotels will be available this summer. To stay up to date on Celebration Bowl announcements, sign up for updates on www.thecelebrationbowl.com and follow the event on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, also manages the season-opening Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kick-Off at Atlanta’s Center Parc Stadium. The game opens college football in “Week 0,” allowing for an even larger showcase for these two conferences. The 2024 matchup features Florida A&M Rattlers and Norfolk State Spartans on Saturday, August 24 at 7:30pm ET. It will be televised live on ABC for the second year as part of the network’s Saturday Night Live college football series.
Tickets are on sale now at www.meacswacchallenge.com. Follow the event on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram.
ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2024, the 34-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premier regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. Follow ESPN Events on Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube.
