Entering their 49th season in the National Football League (NFL), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will kick things off on Sunday, September 8 with a celebration honoring the Bay area with a "For Tampa Bay" game as the team hosts the Washington Commanders in a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff at Raymond James Stadium.
Leading into Sunday's season opener, the team will host a "Raise the Flags" event at Sparkman Wharf on Friday, September 6 at 6 p.m. where fans can enjoy a live DJ and a variety of Buccaneers games and photo ops to kick off the weekend. Throughout the city, various buildings will be lit in Buccaneer red to celebrate the new season.
On Sunday, Bay area locals will be honored with various roles on game day, namely the Captain of the Krewe, featuring athletes from each of Tampa Bay's other professional sports teams. Brandon Hagel of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Shane McClanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays, Forrest Lasso of the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Kaylan Markese of the Tampa Bay Sun will kick-off pre-game celebrations on the pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium. In addition, the National Anthem will be sung by St. Petersburg native, MAYCE, and halftime will feature a performance from the University of South Florida Marching Band.
In attendance will also be a trio of Tampa Bay Olympians who represented the United States on the international stage at the 2024 Olympic Games, including sport shooter Dania Vizzi, track and field athlete Parker Valby and BMX rider Felicia Stancil.
The 2024 launch of the Tampa Bay Chef Series at Raymond James Stadium will be featured Sunday, with local chef Ferrell Alvarez of Dang Dude serving up his Lemon Grass Chili Chicken, available in Hyundai Club (Section 212), Stadium Club (Section 237) and 100 level (Section 108). Throughout the season, the Buccaneers will have a unique offering at each game from Tampa Bay's diverse culinary scene, including CENA, Willa's, Meat Market, Donatello, Society Table, Psomi, Boulon Brasserie, The Birchwood, and TEAK.
Sunday's game will also mark the debut of The Raid, the new pre-game show taking place on-field. The Raid will feature the next evolution of the Buccaneers experience starting 15 minutes before kickoff, including new performances from Buc Beat Line, Bucs Cheerleaders, and other game-day elements.
All fans at Sunday's season opener will also receive a free bucket hat courtesy of Raymond James, while supplies last.
The full list of Buccaneers game themes for the 2024 season can be found here.
