College football fans came to town Thursday as the Vanderbilt Commodores and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will meet for the 18th Birmingham Bowl on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

People enjoyed the Bud Light Fan Fest Pep Rally in Uptown. The event featured marching bands, cheerleaders, coaches and football players for each team. The finale was a fireworks display at the Protective Stadium.

Tech and Vandy fans came out for the festivities. Each university said their allotted bowl game tickets were sold out.

“The last time I came here was when Vanderbilt played in the Birmingham Bowl. Another stadium. It was an exciting time then, but I think now it’s an exciting time to be a part of Vandy, an alum and a commodore. What Coach Lea has.” “I’m ready, this team, the energy. It’s exciting at the moment,” said Roc Batten.

Batten is a graduate of Vanderbilt. He also played football and coached at the university.

The Commodores pulled off a major upset with a 6-6 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in Nashville in October. In November, Vandy defeated the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Georgia Tech, 7-5, also had an exciting year with an upset over the University of Miami and nearly defeated the University of Georgia in an eight-overtime loss.

“I think they can (win). We did really well. Brent Key has done a phenomenal job of conveying what he wants to the children. They have settled into his system. I think we will do an excellent job tomorrow. We’ll be ready,” said George Harike, a Georgia Tech fan.

Tickets are still available on the official Birmingham Bowl website.

The bowl game and everything that comes with it is exciting not only for the fans, but also for the Birmingham area. The 2023 Birmingham Bowl between Duke and Troy had an economic impact of $8.6 million. According to the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, the game has had a total of $181 million in economic impact on the Birmingham region over the 17 years it has been played.

On Friday, the Bud Light Fan Fest Tailgate starts at 10 a.m. in Uptown. The tailgate includes live music, games, a kids zone and concession stands.