PHILADELPHIA, PA — Smooth Event Group is expanding its Eagles pregame operation for its 10th season, moving the ticketed tailgate into Stateside Live!’s upgraded PBR Backyard and adding season-pass and VIP options as it targets every Philadelphia home game in 2026.
The Smooth Tailgate season begins Sunday, Sept. 13, with the Eagles’ home opener and is scheduled to run through Dec. 24. Each event will accommodate about 750 people, according to the company.
The move builds on an event that began as an occasional parking-lot gathering in 2016 before developing into a ticketed business operating at every regular-season Eagles home game.
Smooth Event Group said each tailgate will begin five hours before kickoff and run for four hours, ending one hour before the game. Tickets include food and beverages during the event as well as admission to the subsequent game watch party at Stateside Live!, including guaranteed admission if attendees enter during tailgate hours.
The 2026 schedule includes events Sept. 13; Oct. 4, 18 and 26; Nov. 8 and 22; and Dec. 13, 19 and 24.
The company is also introducing an upgraded season pass covering all regular-season home tailgates. VIP packages include upgraded food and beverage offerings, preferred seating and access to a covered semi-private area.
DJ Smooth, whose name is Austin Sotoloff, will host the events along with Buster from Q102. The entertainment lineup includes live music and rotating guest DJs.
The operation is moving to the PBR Backyard at Stateside Live!, 1100 Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia’s Stadium District near Lincoln Financial Field. Smooth Tailgate previously operated inside the venue when it was known as Xfinity Live!, after transitioning from its original stadium parking-lot format.
“I started these tailgates back in 2016 as my company was just starting to grow,” Sotoloff said. “We then grew to every home game, moved to a ticketed event and started to sell out.”
The tailgate’s expansion has occurred alongside growth in Smooth Event Group itself. Sotoloff began DJing while attending Kutztown University, purchasing his first sound board in 2012 before working college parties, bars and Atlantic City venues.
He formed Smooth Entertainment in 2016 as the business expanded into weddings. The company rebranded as Smooth Event Group in 2022 and now works with more than 50 DJs and nightlife professionals annually, according to the release.
The business has expanded beyond DJ services into live music, content creation and event services for weddings, corporate functions and nightlife. Sotoloff is also one of the Philadelphia Phillies’ official DJs.
Smooth Event Group hosted Philadelphia Super Bowl parties in 2023 and 2025 that drew 1,500 people to the Crystal Tea Room, according to the company.
Tickets and season passes for the 2026 Eagles tailgates are available at smootheventgroup.com/eagles-tailgate/.
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