Citi Field Game Day Guide
New York Mets · Queens, NY
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Purses, non-backpack diaper bags, totes, drawstring and messenger bags, small soft-sided coolers, and fully clear backpacks may enter when no larger than 16 x 16 x 8 inches.
Other backpacks are prohibited; a Security Supervisor may approve ADA or medical exceptions, and all bags and hand-carried items are searched.
- Bag storage
Citi Field has no bag-check facilities inside the ballpark.
- Gate opening
Citi Field gates and ticket windows normally open 90 minutes before first pitch.
Times may change for doubleheaders, concerts, special ceremonies, and high-attendance games; season-ticket members receive 30-minute early entry at the Jackie Robinson Rotunda on promotional giveaway days only.
- Mobile tickets
All Mets tickets are delivered digitally through the MLB Ballpark app, and screenshots are not accepted for entry.
Confirm the tickets appear in the latest app version before arriving at Citi Field.
- Re-entry
Guests generally may not re-enter Citi Field after leaving.
A guest leaving for exceptional circumstances may be allowed back only after receiving approval from a Security or Guest Service Supervisor at that gate before exiting.
- Prohibited items
Citi Field prohibits weapons, pepper spray or mace, fireworks, drones, illegal substances, outside alcohol, glass bottles, metal cans and containers, and hard-sided coolers.
Commercial audio or video equipment, laser pointers, noisemakers, lighters, and animals other than service animals are also prohibited; review the official security policy before arrival.
- First aid
Citi Field's First Response First Aid room is on the Field Level across from the Hyundai Club third-base entrance.
- Nursing and lactation
A nursing pod is on the Empire Suite Level across from Suite 213.
Guests whose tickets do not include Empire Suite Level access may obtain an all-day access pass from any Fan Assistance location.
- Family restrooms
Citi Field has 15 family restrooms across the Clover, Field, Empire Suite, Excelsior, and Promenade levels.
Baby-changing tables are in all concourse restrooms, and adult changing tables are in the family restrooms behind Sections 312 and 420.
- Tickets for children
Every guest 32 inches tall or taller needs a ticket; a child under 32 inches may enter without one when seated on a parent's lap without blocking another guest's view.
A separate seat is not provided without a ticket.
- Guest services
Fan Assistance stations are near Field Level Sections 106, 126, and 142; Excelsior Level Section 306; and Promenade Level Section 412.
Call or text 646-438-5000 about broken seats, unruly guests, hazardous concourse conditions, or other issues not related to play on the field.
- Service animals
Individually trained service dogs are permitted at Citi Field and must remain harnessed, leashed, or tethered unless special circumstances apply.
Ask a supervisor at the Hodges VIP entrance for directions to the service-animal relief area; an animal that threatens safety or is not housebroken may be removed.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoking, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and vaping pens are prohibited throughout Citi Field.
There are no designated smoking areas, and guests may not re-enter after leaving to smoke.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Citi Field, hour by hour.
Explore Flushing or arrive at the lot
Downtown Flushing is a 15-minute walk from the park, incredible Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese food. Or head to the parking lot for the tailgate scene.
Pregame at the lot or McFadden's
The Citi Field parking lot has a casual tailgate scene. McFadden's bar inside the ballpark complex opens early for pregame.
Enter through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda
The main entrance features a grand rotunda honoring Jackie Robinson. Walk through and explore the concourse.
Watch batting practice
Head to the outfield seats for BP. The apple in center field pops up when the Mets hit a home run, a nod to the old Shea Stadium tradition.
Grab Shake Shack or Fuku
Citi Field has some of the best food in MLB, Shake Shack, Fuku, and real NY pizza. Lines at Shake Shack are always long. Go now.
Let's Go Mets
Nine innings in Queens. The crowd chants 'Let's Go Mets' and the apple rises for home runs. The 7 Line Army fills the outfield.
Stretch and sing
The crowd sings 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' and 'Lazy Mary.' Grab a final pastrami sandwich.
Take the 7 train back
Walk straight to the Mets-Willets Point station and ride the 7 back to Manhattan. The platform gets crowded. Walk to the far end.
Tips & Fan Reports
Go super early and watch them warm up, catch, and take batting practice. You will be able to get up close and enjoy the park before the crowd arrives. Check out the Mets Museum inside.
The home run apple in center field is the iconic Mets symbol. It pops up for every Mets homer.
The 7 train from Times Square to Mets-Willets Point is the quintessential way to get to a Mets game. About 30 min ride.
The Shea Bridge and the Home Run Apple from old Shea Stadium are worth seeing beyond center field.
Citi Field's food is among the best in MLB. Fuku chicken sandwich, Pat LaFrieda steak, and Mama's of Corona empanadas are all excellent.
Shake Shack inside the park always has a long line. Go during BP or accept a 20-30 minute wait.
Take the 7 train, Mets-Willets Point station is right at the ballpark. From Times Square, it's about 30 minutes.
This is not a tailgate in the usual sense: no open flame, no organised setup, and no alcohol in the lot at all.
Everything has to fit inside one parking bay, and you can only spread across as many bays as you have cars.
Lots open an hour before the gates, so the useful window is short.
Before the Game
Citi Field permits small personal gatherings in its lots but not tailgating as most people mean it. Organised tailgates are not allowed, nor are catering vehicles or grills, no open flames of any type are permitted, and consuming alcohol in the lots is prohibited outright. The club notes it is illegal on the surrounding sidewalks and lots alike. What is allowed is a modest setup: tents including their poles, coolers, tables and grills must all fit within a single parking space boundary, and a group may combine spaces only up to the number of vehicles it actually brought. Tailgating is prohibited entirely for concerts. Lots open one hour before the stadium gates.
Where to Go Before the Game
The stadium parking lots
Where small personal gatherings are permitted, opening one hour before the ballpark gates. Everything you bring must fit inside a single parking space boundary.
Known for Open 1 hour before gates · One space per vehicle · No open flames
The one-bay rule in the lots
Tents including poles, coolers, tables and grills all have to fit within one parking space boundary in the lot, and a group may only combine spaces equal to the number of vehicles in the party.
Known for Everything in one bay · Spaces = vehicles
The alcohol line
Consuming alcohol is prohibited in the lots and on the sidewalks surrounding the ballpark alike, which is the rule that most separates this from a tailgate.
Known for No alcohol in lots · Or on the sidewalks
Pregame Rules
What Citi Field allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Catering vehicles, grills and any other organised tailgates are not permitted.
- No open flames of any type are allowed.
- Consumption of alcohol is prohibited. It is illegal to consume alcoholic beverages on the sidewalks or in the parking lots surrounding the ballpark.
- Tents including tent poles, coolers, tables and grills must fit within one parking space boundary.
- Groups may only combine use of parking spaces equal to the number of vehicles in the party.
- Tailgating is strictly prohibited for concerts at Citi Field.
- All lots open one hour prior to the opening of the stadium gates.
Weather
Citi Field is open air, so these are the conditions you sit in.
Across the MLB season the warmest month is July, with an average high of 86°F, and the coldest is April, when the average low is 46°F. August is the wettest month at 4.4 inches and May the driest at 3.6 inches.
That April low ranks 16th coldest of the 30 MLB venues, and August here ranks 15th wettest.
April
3.9 inchesMay
3.6 inchesJune
4.0 inchesJuly
4.3 inchesAugust
4.4 inchesSeptember
3.9 inchesOctober
3.8 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Wrapped food or food in soft plastic without metal silverware, unopened soft-plastic beverage bottles, and juice boxes may enter Citi Field.
- A card or a phone wallet
Citi Field is cashless; guests with cash may use reverse ATMs near Section 114, inside the Mets Team Store behind the Hudson Whiskey NY Club, or outside near the Jackie Robinson Rotunda ticket windows.
- A warm layer for after dark
April nights average 46°F at Citi Field.
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat
July highs average 86°F at Citi Field, with no roof over the seats.
- A rain layer
August averages 4.4 inches of rain here.
How We Checked This Page
Every section below names the source it was read from and the day it was read. Where we could not reach a published figure, the page says so rather than presenting an estimate as a checked fact.
- Game day timeline
Gate opening time checked against the venue's own gate-opening policy: Citi Field gates and ticket windows normally open 90 minutes before first pitch.
- Pregame
New York Mets official site: Stadium Parking Information, and Citi Field Policies and Procedures
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Citi Field policy, accessibility, bag, digital-ticket, and 2026 parking guidance reviewed for entry, family, payment, food, parking, and accessibility rules.