Inaugural ATL Labor Day Classic aims to make Morehouse-Clark Atlanta rivalry a destination event

The inaugural event will pair the schools’ century-old rivalry with scholarships, health programming and a festival-style tailgate.

The inaugural ATL Labor Day Classic will bring live performances and the “DTLR HBCU Welcome Back Tour” to Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University’s Sept. 5 rivalry game, co-founder Jerry Freeman told theGrio.

“DTLR is one of our corporate sponsors,” Freeman said, adding that the retailer’s HBCU tour will make its Atlanta stop inside the event’s fan-zone tailgate. “We’re gonna have some key artists that young people like.”

The artists have not been announced. DTLR’s official tour schedule lists a Sept. 5 stop for Morehouse, Clark Atlanta and Spelman College at 830 Westview Drive SW, with free live concerts, interactive sports areas and partner giveaways planned across the tour.

The game kicks off at 1 p.m. at Morehouse’s B.T. Harvey Stadium, according to the school’s 2026 football schedule. Organizers say the Morehouse-Clark Atlanta rivalry dates to 1900 and are placing it at the center of a new Labor Day weekend tradition.

Freeman said the matchup was traditionally played late in the season, when interest could depend on how well either team had performed. Moving it to the opening weekend gives organizers the anticipation of a new season without creating a matchup from scratch.

“Let’s take something that’s good and let’s make it better,” he recalled telling Morehouse director of athletics Harold Ellis. “Now was the right moment.”

Freeman said the event will also include a fan-zone tailgate, gathering spaces for both schools and an 8,000-square-foot VIP lounge with food, drinks, music and a dance floor. Additional sponsors and celebrity involvement remain in development.

The Atlanta HBCU classic is also being built around community investment. Freeman said 91 Sixty Seven Sports & Entertainment will present scholarships to students. Healthcare sponsors are also expected to hold community events during the week, though scholarship amounts and participating companies have not been announced.

“At the end of the day, we have to impact these students,” Freeman said. “We’re gonna party, but we’re also gonna do those things that need to be done.”

Freeman said the goal is for the ATL Labor Day Classic to give the century-old rivalry a larger stage while creating an event that can draw alumni, residents and Labor Day visitors back each year.