Paul Shareshian, co-owner of the Varsity Theatre, said Tar Heel Outreach Program students organize the event.
“They actually handle all the tickets. This week they sell them down at the Pit and every year they sell out,” he said.
The watch party
has become a popular event among students, especially for those without
tickets to the game — and since tonight’s game is in Durham, that
covers plenty of people. Shareshian said the Varsity’s location had a
lot to do with the popularity of the event.
“I
think the proximity to Franklin Street, obviously,” he said. “After the
game, they can rush the street pretty easily because we’re already on
the street.”
UNC sophomore Margaret Smith attended the watch party for the first time last year.
She said that while she would have preferred to be at the game itself, the watch party was a cool experience.
“Having
it be sort of a large watch party is different from going to somebody’s
house and watching it because you don’t know everybody who’s there and
it’s less set-up for people to talk and everything,” Smith said.
Smith
said she felt that it was different to experience the rivalry game as a
UNC student because of the general atmosphere and excitement.
“Watching
it on a really big screen was cool because it made you feel like you
were even more there than if you were watching it on a TV or something,”
she said.
UNC
sophomore Morgan Wolfkill went to the watch party for both of last
season’s games against Duke. She also plans to go to the watch party
tonight.
Wolfkill
said she was uncertain about buying tickets her first time and
ultimately didn’t because the watch party sold out. She said she was
luckily able to buy a ticket from someone who could no longer go.
“The
second time around, right when they started selling them, I went ahead
and bought them immediately because the first time was such a good
experience that I knew that’s where I wanted to be again,” she said.
Wolfkill said the atmosphere of the theatre is different during the game than for movies.
“Being
able to watch the game on such a big screen with so many people who are
just excited as you are was just a lot of fun,” she said.
UNC won during her second watch party, which allowed her to experience the hectic rush to Franklin Street up close.
“It was
awesome,” she said. “When we ran out on the street, you could kind of
see people from all directions running towards you. We were basically
already in the middle of the intersection where everything happens, so
we’re just standing there going crazy with all of these people and all
of a sudden there’s a rush of more people from every direction coming
towards you. It was definitely something I’d do again.”
No comments:
Post a Comment