Texas was already planning a party on June 30 for when the Longhorns will celebrate their midnight move to the Southeastern Conference. That party just went worldwide.
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Texas announced Wednesday that international superstar Pitbull will perform in front of the UT Tower during Texas’ SEC Celebration, an all-day event across the 40 Acres celebrating the Longhorns move to its new conference.
“What a historic day and moment for Texas,” said athletic director Chris Del Conte in a statement. “We are so excited to welcome the burnt orange faithful back to the 40 Acres to celebrate Texas with all of our traditions, pride and passion. This is an amazing moment in time for the University, Athletics and the city of Austin as we join the SEC, and there’s no better way to celebrate than with a giant party, and we can’t wait for Pitbull to put a punctuation mark on an incredible day.”
Pitbull will perform after the official SEC Ceremony and fireworks show at the UT Tower at 8:30 p.m., per release. Del Conte, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, University of Texas System board of regents chairman Kevin Eltife, and University of Texas President Jay Hartzell will be on hand for the celebration.
Details for the All-Day SEC Celebration were previously announced
From 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. in front of the Main Mall at the UT Tower, Texas will host an “epic all-day celebration commemorating the Longhorns’ inaugural day in the Southeastern Conference,” according to a release. It will feature an “official SEC ceremony at 8:30 p.m. with Sankey, Eltife, Hartzell, and Del Conte.
“UT’s move to the Southeastern Conference is an extraordinary moment for Texas Athletics, Longhorn Nation and our entire University. It is only fitting that we celebrate this occasion with a Texas-sized party on the Forty Acres, open to all,” Hartzell said in a statement. “We are excited to bring our passion, history and commitment to excellence to our new conference, and this event will be a chance to highlight the University’s winning tradition and all it means to be a Longhorn.”
At SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Fla., Sankey mentioned how this would be yet another defining occasion for the league as it expands for a third time.
“That’s what we do at these moments, we honor these moments,” Sankey said.
Texas had been generally muted in its anticipation of the move. Campbell-Williams Field received SEC logos to little fanfare. Similar applied to the practice courts at the men’s basketball facility and the floor for volleyball at Gregory Gym. Only recently has Texas placed SEC logos in its football facility and started letting recruits take pictures with jerseys with SEC patches.
“One of the things that myself, Jay, and (Oklahoma president) Joe (Harroz) said is we want to be respectful and orderly in our transition,” Sankey said. “You did not see SEC flags parading on fields, logos popping up at that time. We knew there’d be a time for that, and that will be upon entry on June 30th and July 1st.”
There will be activities similar to those available on game days on Bevo Blvd. and the opportunity for fans to purchase “exclusive Texas x SEC co-branded merchandise.”
“This is a day we have been building towards for years,” Del Conte said. “We can’t wait to see the Burnt Orange and White come out for a jam-packed day of activities celebrating all of our traditions and create new memories as we join the SEC.”
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According to a release, the SEC Network will be broadcasting live from the Main Mall from 5 to 9 p.m., offering a one-of-a-kind SEC experience created for this event, with photo ops commemorating some of the network’s best programming.
More information can be found here.
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