Allstate to Bring Fan Festivities to New Orleans ahead of the 2018 Allstate® Sugar Bowl®

NORTHBROOK, Ill., Dec. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Allstate Fan Fest is back for its 12^th year in celebration of the 2018 Allstate^® Sugar Bowl^®. College football fans from around the country will be flocking to New Orleans to see Clemson University square off against the University of Alabama on New Year's Day in a rematch of last year's national championship game. This year's Allstate Fan Fest will consist of live concerts, school pep rallies, interactive games and activities for fans of all ages.

For the second year in a row, two performances from the Allstate Fan Fest will broadcast live from the French Quarter as part of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018" Central Time Zone countdown. NYRE kicks off at 7 p.m. CST on ABC leading up to the fleur-de-lis drop at midnight in the Jax Brewery parking lot. Award-winning actress Lucy Hale, best known for her role on the Freeform hit series Pretty Little Liars, is returning to the Crescent City as the New Orleans-based host, providing viewers with exclusive celebrity and fan interviews leading up to the midnight countdown. Platinum selling indie-pop band WALK THE MOON will grace the Allstate Fan Fest main stage for a free concert to kick off the celebration at 8:15 p.m. on Dec. 31, followed by Grammy^® Award-winners Imagine Dragons at 10 p.m. All concerts are free and open to the public. The broadcast of the Central Time Zone celebration in New Orleans is also made possible through collaborations between the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Allstate^® Sugar Bowl^® and the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

"One of our favorite parts of the Allstate^® Sugar Bowl^® festivities each year is seeing everyone come together, whether that be the fans traveling in for the game, the New Orleans residents coming out to enjoy the celebrations or even those tuning in to watch the excitement unfold from home," said Pam Hollander, vice president of marketing for Allstate Insurance Company. "The energy and sense of community that exists during these exciting events is indescribable, and there truly is no better place to ring in a new year."

In addition to celebrating yet another year of fantastic action on the football field, Allstate will be helping to spotlight the numerous good deeds that are taking place off of it. Members of the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^®, one of the most prestigious community service awards in all of college sports, will be recognized during halftime of the 2018 Allstate^® Sugar Bowl^®. For the 10^th consecutive year, Allstate and members of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® will also give back to the city of New Orleans by refurbishing a local youth center alongside college football legend and former Good Works Team member, Tim Tebow.

This year will also see the return of the Allstate^® Sugar Bowl^® New Year's Eve Parade, a Mardi Gras-style celebration with floats, bands and a variety of participants including the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^®. The parade will begin at the intersection of Elysian Fields Avenue and Decatur Street at approximately 2:30 p.m. The parade will then travel through the French Quarter up Decatur and along the Mississippi River before wrapping at Canal Street.

The Allstate Fan Fest will be full of family friendly activities for all to enjoy. After fans test their abilities in the Allstate combine, they can attempt a field goal kick for their team into replica "Good Hands^®" nets. The Allstate Fan Fest Sweepstakes Prize Zone provides the chance to win a team jersey, helmet and a $500 gift card to the team store. All fans that register for the sweepstakes will also receive an Allstate^® Sugar Bowl^® t-shirt.

The Allstate Fan Fest is free to the public, and is located in the Jax Brewery parking lot off Decatur Street. The full schedule of highlights for this year's Allstate Fan Fest activities is as follows:

Saturday, Dec. 30

• Fan Fest open from 12 – 6 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 31

• Fan Fest open from 12 – 6 p.m.
• Clemson Team Pep Rally – 1 p.m.
• Alabama Team Pep Rally – 4:30 p.m.
• New Year's Eve Mardi Gras Parade – 2:30 p.m.
• Kermit Ruffins – 6:30 p.m.
• WALK THE MOON – 8:15 p.m.
• Imagine Dragons – 10 p.m.

Allstate will celebrate its 12^th year as the title sponsor of the Allstate^® Sugar Bowl^® held in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Jan. 1, 2018. The game will be broadcast on ESPN at 8:45 p.m. EST / 7:45 p.m. CST.

About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting approximately 16 million households from life's uncertainties through auto, home, life and other insurance offered through its Allstate, Esurance, Encompass and Answer Financial brand names. Other growth platforms include predictive analytics company Arity and consumer-product protection plan company SquareTrade. Allstate is widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate^®." Allstate agencies are in virtually every local community in America. In 2016, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $42 million to support local communities.

SOURCE Allstate Insurance Company

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