OXFORD, Miss. (WVUE) - LSU fans arriving in Oxford ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Ole Miss may notice something unusual covering one of college football’s most famous tailgating spots.

Thousands of trash cans.

It is not preparation gone wrong. It is Trash Can Friday, an Ole Miss tradition that transforms the Grove into a sea of red and blue the day before home football games.

Early Friday morning before home games, University of Mississippi Landscape Services workers place thousands of trash cans and recycling bins throughout the Grove and surrounding areas. For students walking to class, the colorful bins have become one of the first signs that another football weekend has arrived.

This Friday carries a little more attention than most.

No. 7 LSU visits No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday in the 115th meeting between the rivals, while ESPN’s “College GameDay” will broadcast from the Grove beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

How Trash Can Friday started

The tradition traces back to 2000.

Ole Miss landscaping crews previously used 55-gallon drums around campus, but the containers were heavy and difficult for workers to move. The department eventually switched to stackable trash cans and ordered them in Ole Miss colors.

What started as a practical change became part of football weekends in Oxford.

Depending on the size of the game, crews have historically placed roughly 1,500 to 2,500 cans around campus. Workers and volunteers later collect, clean and store them for the next home game.

“The best traditions happen organically,” University of Mississippi Landscape Services Director Jeff McManus told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in 2024.

Trash Can Friday has since become recognizable enough that the university includes it among its official campus traditions.

Ole Miss describes the bins as a red-and-blue spectacle that welcomes students to campus and signals that game day is near.

By Friday afternoon, attention turns toward building the tailgating scene Ole Miss is known for.

For the LSU game, registered student organizations and university departments can begin setting up from 2 to 3 p.m., followed by vendors from 3 to 4:30 p.m. The Grove closes at 5:30 p.m. before reopening to the general public at 6 p.m., according to Ole Miss Athletics.

By Saturday, the trash cans that signal the beginning of the weekend will be surrounded by tents, tailgates and thousands of fans as LSU and Ole Miss renew the Magnolia Bowl rivalry.

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