Batten down the hatches, it's going to be a pirate-filled weekend.

East Carolina University hosts the University of North Carolina for a sold-out football game at Dowdy-Fickeln Stadium at 6 p.m. Saturday.

But the Pirate festivities begin well before that.

Freeboot Friday — a celebration of ECU Pirate pride before home football games — kicks off the weekend from 5-8 p.m. today.

The gathering of football fans and Pirate supporters, in the parking lot at the corner of Evans and West Fifth streets, includes vendors, food and live music.

It's a home-game tradition that began more than seven years ago.

Freeboot Fridays were started in 1999 by Uptown Greenville, a volunteer organization focused on revitalizing downtown.

The annual event brings Pirate fans of all ages to the downtown area.

This year, the Friday night party will be the "Official ECU Pep Rally," with appearances by the ECU cheerleaders, football coaches, the pep band and the dance team.

Live music also will continue to be a staple of the event.

Local musicians Erica Plouffe Lazure and Luke Whisnat of See You Tuesday open today's Freeboot with music at 5 p.m. The acoustic duo will be followed by British Columbia's The Clumsy Lovers.

Having performed at several Freeboot events, The Clumsy Lovers has seven albums to its credit. The group's most recent album, "The Smart Kid," was released in 2005.

In Ayden on Saturday, The East Carolina University Marching Pirates and the University of North Carolina Marching Tar Heels will perform in the 33rd Annual Ayden Collard Festival parade at 10:45 a.m.

The bands' appearance in Ayden will mark the first time in recent history that the 5,000-citizen community has hosted a collegiate marching band.

The UNC Band also will perform at 2 p.m. on the Third Street stage in addition to its appearance in the parade.

Following the parade, tailgating will begin on and around the ECU campus.

This year marks the first-ever ECU Student Pirate Club designated lot. Previously the public could tailgate on the ECU frisbee field, but the field is now designated for the ECU Student Pirate Club.

The Belk Building parking lot and the lot at the bottom of College Hill still are available for the public.

If you're not inclined to tailgate or don't have tickets to the game, several area restaurants will broadcast the game, including Tie Breakers Sports Bar, Professor O'Cool's, Buffalo Wild Wings and Courtyard Tavern.

So put on your purple and gold — or Carolina blue and white — and get ready for some football.