Badger Bash a blast at Union South

The Badger Bash is back at Union South.

After being moved offsite while the gleaming new Union South was being built, the legendary pre-game pep rally returned Thursday for the first time in two years.

And it was a hit.

Red-clad Badger fans jammed the terraces and plaza at Union South Thursday evening to fire up for Wisconsin’s 51-17 victory over UNLV in the Badgers’ nationally televised season opener.

Photo of the UW Marching band arriving at Union South

The UW Marching Band is greeted by a crowd of red-wearing Badger fans filling Union South’s “The Plaza” during the Badger Bash. The gathering — the largest and longest running public tailgating event at UW–Madison — opened the 2011 football season and marked the return of the Badger Bash to Union South following two years of construction of the new facility.

Photo: Jeff Miller

The UW Marching Band and director Mike Leckrone received a rollicking reception they arrived in the plaza and performed for an eager audience of Badger fans.

The bash, a fixture at Union South for about 30 years, took on a new feel in a more spacious setting. The south plaza of the building is about twice the size of the old union plaza, making for a more comfortable atmosphere.

If the plaza seems custom-made for a band concert, that’s because it was. Architects took into account the needs of the band’s staging needs when designing the plaza and Leckrone and Bucky Badger’s hand and paw prints have been preserved for posterity in the concrete near where the band plays.

Photo of thousands of Badger fans preparing for the first football game of the season at Union South.

Confetti and fireworks are launched from the roof of Wendt Commons as a crowd of red-wearing Badger fans fill Union South’s “The Plaza” and cheer on the UW Marching Band during the Badger Bash on Sept. 1.

Photo: Bryce Richter

The experience was replete with a ribbon cutting, cheerleaders, Bucky, pyrotechnics and the band as fans settled into their new pre-game rituals.

In addition to providing the pre-game excitement, the bash gave fans a chance to explore and learn about the new features of Union South, which opened its doors for the first time last April.

New attractions at the bash included face-painting and inflatable playgrounds for the kids, a wide variety of traditional and ethnic food options and live pre-game radio broadcasts from the site.