Nationals Park Game Day Guide
Washington Nationals · Washington, DC
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bags may not exceed 16 x 16 x 8 inches; a non-clear clutch may not exceed 5 x 7 x 0.75 inches.
Backpacks, including clear backpacks, and non-clear drawstring bags are prohibited; diaper and medical bags may use the ADA or Family lanes, and all bags are searched.
- Bag storage
Binbox medium and large lockers are available for a fee outside Center Field, Left Field, and Home Plate gates.
Lockers are in place from two hours before first pitch until one hour after the last pitch, and stored bags are subject to inspection.
- Gate opening
Nationals Park gates open 80 minutes before most home games and 75 minutes before games beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Published gate times are subject to change.
- Mobile tickets
All Nationals tickets are delivered digitally through the MLB Ballpark app, and screenshots, printouts, and copied third-party barcodes are not accepted.
Open the mobile barcode for gate scanning and load tickets before arrival; previously viewed tickets remain available with low connectivity.
- Re-entry
Guests may not leave and re-enter Nationals Park with the same ticket unless a gate supervisor authorizes the departure before they exit.
Speak with a Guest Experience or Event Security supervisor before leaving if an exceptional need arises.
- Prohibited items
Nationals Park prohibits weapons, fireworks, illegal substances, self-defense sprays, aerosol cans, drones, outside alcohol, metal or glass containers, and all coolers and ice chests.
Bats, non-collapsible umbrellas, poles, long camera lenses, tripods, selfie sticks, inflatables, laser pointers, noisemakers, wheeled recreational devices, helmets, and toy weapons are also prohibited; review the official list before arrival.
- First aid
First Aid rooms staffed by AMR medical personnel are behind Sections 107, 131, and 312.
The rooms include accessible restrooms and additional accommodations for guests with disabilities.
- Nursing and lactation
The air-conditioned Nursing Lounge beside Section 223 has comfortable chairs, televisions, changing stations, refrigerators, electrical outlets, and a toddler play area.
Nursing parents are not required to use the lounge.
- Family restrooms
Accessible family restrooms are on the concourses behind Sections 104, 117, 139, and 235.
Changing tables are in every family restroom and public restroom, while First Aid rooms have tables for adults who need changing assistance.
- Tickets for children
Children age 2 and younger may enter Nationals Park without a ticket when seated on a parent or guardian's lap without blocking another guest's view.
- Guest services
Guest Services locations are in Centerfield Plaza near Section 103 and behind Sections 131 and 320.
For immediate assistance, text NATS with the issue and location to 202-980-4357.
- Service animals
Individually trained service dogs and, in some cases, miniature horses are welcome and must remain leashed and under the handler's control.
A relief area is outside Home Plate Gate; speak with the Security Supervisor before exiting and return through the same gate for authorized re-entry.
- Smoking and vaping
Nationals Park is completely smoke- and tobacco-free, including e-cigarettes, vaping devices, smokeless tobacco, marijuana, and other tobacco products.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Nationals Park, hour by hour.
Explore the Navy Yard
The Capitol Riverfront neighborhood has breweries, restaurants, and a waterfront boardwalk along the Anacostia River.
Pregame at Bluejacket or The Salt Line
Bluejacket brewery and The Salt Line seafood restaurant are the top pregame spots, both walking distance from the park.
Enter and explore
Walk through the center field gate for the widest concourse. The view of the Capitol dome from behind home plate is unique to this park.
Watch batting practice
Head to the outfield for BP. The park is open-air with good views from every level.
Grab a half-smoke and find your seat
The half-smoke (DC's signature sausage) is the must-try food item. Ben's Chili Bowl has a stand inside the park.
Play ball
Nine innings of Nationals baseball. The crowd is a mix of DC locals, Hill staffers, and tourists.
The Presidents Race
Giant-headed mascots of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt race around the warning track. A beloved tradition since 2006.
Navy Yard waterfront
Walk to the Anacostia Riverwalk or the Navy Yard bars. The Metro runs late. Take the Green Line from Navy Yard-Ballpark station.
Tips & Fan Reports
Navy Yard neighborhood has exploded with new restaurants and bars since Nationals Park opened. Dozen of options within 3 blocks.
The Presidents Race in the 4th inning is a must-see tradition. Root for Teddy. He lost for years before finally winning.
DC residents who take Metro to the Navy Yard-Ballpark station exit directly at the first base gate.
Take the Metro, Navy Yard-Ballpark station (Green Line) is a 5-minute walk. No need to drive.
Ben's Chili Bowl has a stand inside the park. The half-smoke is DC's signature food.
The Bullpen (beer garden beyond center field) stays open postgame and is the unofficial gathering spot.
Lots open two hours and fifteen minutes before first pitch, which is later than most ballparks.
The Navy Yard neighbourhood around the park has its own parking when the club's garages are full.
There is no tailgate to plan: it is barred in every Nationals garage and lot, so the Capitol Riverfront is the pregame.
Everything closes an hour after the last out, so a long post-game stay in the garage is not an option.
Before the Game
Tailgating is not permitted in any Nationals parking garage or lot, which makes the Capitol Riverfront the pregame instead. The ballpark sits in Southeast Washington south of the Capitol, next to the Navy Yard, in a neighbourhood built up around it. All lots including Garage B and Garage C open two hours and fifteen minutes before first pitch, an oddly precise window, and every garage and lot closes one hour after the game ends.
Where to Go Before the Game
The Capitol Riverfront and Navy Yard
The neighbourhood the ballpark sits in, in Southeast Washington south of the Capitol. With tailgating barred in every Nationals lot, the bars and restaurants of the riverfront district are the pregame.
Known for Around the ballpark · Bars and restaurants · Beside the Navy Yard
Garage B and Garage C
The Nationals' own garages, opening two hours and fifteen minutes before first pitch and closing an hour after the final out. No tailgating in either.
Known for Open 2h15m before · Close 1 hour after · No tailgating
The surrounding Navy Yard lots
Commercial parking through the neighbourhood around the ballpark, the alternative when the club's garages fill.
Known for Neighbourhood parking · Walking distance
Pregame Rules
What Nationals Park allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Tailgating is not permitted in Nationals parking garages and lots.
- All lots, including Garage B and Garage C, open two hours and fifteen minutes prior to the start of each game.
- All Nationals parking garages and lots close one hour after the conclusion of each game.
- Nationals Park is in Southeast Washington, south of the Capitol, along the Capitol Riverfront adjacent to the Navy Yard.
Weather
Nationals Park 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 90°F, and the coldest is April, when the average low is 48°F. July is the wettest month at 4.3 inches and April the driest at 3.2 inches.
That April low ranks 19th coldest of the 30 MLB venues, and July here ranks 16th wettest.
April
3.2 inchesMay
3.9 inchesJune
4.2 inchesJuly
4.3 inchesAugust
3.3 inchesSeptember
3.9 inchesOctober
3.7 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Single-serving food may enter in an approved bag or carried by hand for screening.
- A card or a phone wallet
Nationals Park does not accept cash for tickets, concessions, or retail purchases; cash remains accepted for 50/50 raffle tickets.
- A warm layer for after dark
April nights average 48°F at Nationals Park.
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat
July highs average 90°F at Nationals Park, with no roof over the seats.
- A poncho, not an umbrella
Umbrellas are on Nationals Park's prohibited list, and July averages 4.3 inches of rain.
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: Nationals Park gates open 80 minutes before most home games and 75 minutes before games beginning at 6:45 p.m.
- Pregame
Washington Nationals official site: Where to Park at Nationals Park, Gate Opening Times, and the A-Z Information Guide
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Nationals Park policy, accessibility, cognitive-services, bag, dietary, digital-ticket, guest-conduct, and parking guidance reviewed for entry, family, payment, food, parking, and accessibility rules.