Gator Stompin' was once a simple little pub crawl to 10 stops on West University Avenue.
Thursday night, Gator Stompin' became a restaurant-bar-concert-charity extravaganza with more than 50 stops.
Jason Bowman, director of Gator Stompin', said he revamped the former pub crawl into an event for those who may not qualify to receive that highly coveted 21-and-over band.
"There's a lot more we offer than just drinks," Bowman said.
Most stops offered non-alcoholic options, and Bowman said he expected the majority of participants to be under the legal drinking age.
"We're trying to take the emphasis off of drinking," Bowman said.
He said he estimated about 1,000 people would stomp the stretch of University Avenue.
Most participants paid ,30 for a badge that allowed them special privileges at stops from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to the Hippodrome Theatre.
All proceeds from Gator Stompin' will go to Best Buddies, a mentor service.
"They have a huge student representation on campus," Bowman said.
Gator Stompin' kicked off with a concert from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Pizze Rustica parking lot with performances from The Chris McCarty Band, 3 Story Fall and others.
Marla McGill, an applied physiology and kinesiology senior, said this was her second year Gator Stompin'.
Last year, she started her night at 9 p.m. and went until 2 a.m. This year, she came early to support her former roommate, a member of 3 Story Fall, at the kick-off concert.
