As students head to Fiserv Forum on Feb. 7 for the National Marquette Day men’s basketball game, they’re invited to stop at a different type of tailgate along the way.
Recovery at Marquette — a program supporting students in recovery from substance abuse — is introducing an alternative option to the NMD party scene, serving brunch to the first 300 students that arrive from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The sober tailgate comes a year after the Marquette University Police Department received 29 alcohol-related calls on NMD 2025. Staff in residence halls confiscated alcohol and triaged students in the lobbies of dorms. At the 800 block of 17th Street — known as the “Alley” — a car was totaled during a gathering of over 1,000 students.
Recovery at Marquette’s sober tailgate is open to all students, regardless of their sobriety or involvement with the recovery program. While the organization builds what it hopes to be a safe and controlled NMD get-together, it also promises to make the tailgate just as fun as any other party.
“There’s this misconception that if you enter recovery and pursue sobriety, the party stops,” Timothy Rabolt, director of Recovery at Marquette, said. “This is our response to that — the party’s not over.”
The tailgate will be a marriage of two previous Recovery at Marquette events. On NMD 2025, the program hosted a small get-together in its space on the third floor of Wellness + Helfaer Recreation away from the bitter cold and chaos of the alley.
In November 2025, the program held a sober tailgate before the Milwaukee Admirals’ “Recovery Night.” The tailgate, held at GATHER, an event space in Fiserv Forum’s Deer District, included food and games for students before a night of hockey.
For NMD 2026, Recovery at Marquette will create a scaled-up combination of the two gatherings, entertaining and providing food for the first 300 students at GATHER — the venue’s maximum capacity.
“It’s good to give people options and to not pressure them to feel like they have to live up to a certain stereotype of what it means to celebrate National Marquette Day,” Helenka Kiss, a program assistant, said.
In addition to providing an outlet for students, Rabolt said the sober tailgate will help answer a longstanding question of his: Do students want to drink in excess, or do they just want a party?
“Let’s throw a huge party with a lot of fun options that doesn’t involve drinking and see how people respond,” Rabolt said.
That party will include an array of catered food, such as breakfast sandwiches, burritos, wraps, sliders and vegetarian options. The spread will also have a popcorn station, dessert bar, hot cocoa and mocktails.
“Our tailgates are always fun,” Hilda Valencia, a graduate student and program assistant, said. “And we have the best food.”
Away from the brunch buffet, the tailgate will include a crafting table where students can design posters and decorate custom bracelets and trucker caps. Partygoers will also have access to a photo booth, face painting and glitter tattoos.
Everything will be set to music, with Milwaukee Bucks entertainer DJ Style at the turntable.
Rabolt said since the initial announcement, the tailgate has received widespread support, with the Counseling and Wellness Centers co-sponsoring the event. On social media, students have been actively liking, sharing and reposting promotional messages for the tailgate.
“It’s hitting on a desire to party, but maybe not in an alley,” Rabolt said.
Despite the fanfare, the Recovery at Marquette team isn’t just drumming up the word online. On Jan. 30 at Wellness + Helfaer Recreation, the program hosted a pop-up hot cocoa and coffee bar. While the drinks were free, they came with an invitation to the NMD tailgate, including flyers and handwritten messages on cups.
Though students will celebrate NMD with their own traditions, including get-togethers, late nights and inevitable trips to the alley, Recovery at Marquette hopes to add another party for students to look forward to.
“Go, do whatever you want to do,” Rabolt said. “But here’s our sober alternative that we think is going to be a pretty great experience.”
This story was written by Lance Schulteis. He can be reached at [email protected].
