Long before the first snap, you know you’ve arrived for a Penn State football Saturday.
From the moment you land in Happy Valley, you’ll feel the excitement building around Beaver Stadium. Blue and white fill the parking lots, grills fire up hours before kickoff and generations of fans come together to celebrate the Nittany Lions.
You don’t have to be a lifelong Penn State fan to understand the appeal. Even a first visit gives you a chance to experience the traditions that make game day in State College so unique.
Maybe it’s watching the team arrive on the blue buses. Perhaps it’s joining thousands of voices in a “We Are … Penn State!” chant. Or, of course, taking in the spectacle of a White Out game.
These are the moments when you realize this is what Penn State football is all about.
For many fans, those moments are just as important as what happens between the lines. They’re the traditions that turn a football game into an all-day experience and give Penn State Saturdays their unmistakable identity.
Whether you’re a lifelong Nittany Lion or making your first trip to Happy Valley, here are five experiences that belong on every Penn State football fan’s bucket list:
Pregame tailgating
Penn State has one of the greatest tailgating traditions in the country. Hours before kickoff, the parking lots around Beaver Stadium come alive with a sea of blue and white, with grills firing, flags flying and generations of fans gathering around their tailgates.
Catch the Blue Buses arriving
The nondescript blue school buses transport players and coaches to the stadium, navigating a traditional back-road scenic route through Happy Valley to maintain a long-standing tradition. The buses roll up along Curtin Road and drop off players near Gate A at Beaver Stadium.
Join the “We Are … Penn State!” chant
When Zombie Nation’s “Kernkraft 400” starts playing inside Beaver Stadium, the crowd bounces in unison and breaks into its iconic “We Are … Penn State!” chant. It’s loud, simple and unmistakably Penn State — a moment when the entire stadium feels like it’s moving as one.
Experience a White Out game
Simply put, one of college football’s most spectacular sights. Fans dress in white from head to toe, creating an atmosphere inside Beaver Stadium unlike any other. The tradition began in the student section in 2004 before expanding to the entire stadium in 2007.
Sing ‘For the Glory’
As your game-day experience winds down, join thousands of fellow Nittany Lions in singing “For the Glory of Old State,” Penn State’s alma mater. Written by professor Fred Lewis Pattee in 1901, the song has been part of the university’s identity for more than a century.
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Mike Garbett is a content specialist working with McClatchy’s Content Innovation Lab.