Citi Field Pregame Guide
New York Mets · Queens, NY
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.
Tips & Fan Reports
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.
For a concert at Citi Field, tailgating is prohibited outright rather than restricted.
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
Rules to Know
What Citi Field allows, 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.
What to Bring
- A bag the gate will accept
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.
- 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.
- Your tickets on a charged phone
All Mets tickets are delivered digitally through the MLB Ballpark app, and screenshots are not accepted for entry.
- 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.
New York Mets Tailgate Gear
Canopies, grills, coolers, and official New York Mets gear for the ultimate tailgate.
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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.
- Pregame
New York Mets official site: Stadium Parking Information, and Citi Field Policies and Procedures
- Venue policies
Citi Field policy, accessibility, bag, digital-ticket, and 2026 parking guidance reviewed for entry, family, payment, food, parking, and accessibility rules.
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals