Get ready for some Neil Diamond and Bee Gees at the big game on Friday night.
The Highlanders kick off their Super Rugby season on Friday night when they take on the Sharks at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.
The season is starting earlier than usual because of a tight playing window and that means Dunedin is yet to welcome back the bulk of its university students.
The students are traditionally the base for the Zoo end of the ground, which bangs out some modern beats in a fairly relaxed atmosphere.
So with the students out of town, the Highlanders have decided to open up the Zoo section to Masters Games competitors.
The competitors just have to use a promo code when buying their ticket to the Zoo, which is at the western end of the ground.
The play list for the Zoo end will also be changed to fit in with the crowd in attendance. So there will not be much modern music but more of the beats of Neil Diamond and the tunes of Elton John.
The Highlanders’ second home game is against the Rebels on February 28.
The Zoo should be fully up and running by then as the students will have swung into action.
About 5000 competitors have been at the Masters Games, which started last Saturday. It is hoped a decent number of them will go along to the game on Friday for which a new-look Highlanders side will take the field.