Petco Park Game Day Guide
San Diego Padres · San Diego, CA
Know Before You Go
Essential details checked against official venue information.
- Bag policy
Petco Park permits single-compartment clear plastic bags up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches and clutches or purses up to 5 x 7 inches.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- Infant and medical bags are also permitted, and all items are subject to search.
- Bag storage
Lock & Go lockers are available for $14 at four locations around Petco Park.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- Locations are across from Home Plate Gate in Lexus Premier Lot, at Tony Gwynn Drive and L Street, at Balboa Gate, and at East Village Gate.
- Lockers open one hour before gates, and belongings must be collected within 30 minutes after the game.
- Gate opening
All Petco Park entry gates open 90 minutes before first pitch.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- Season Ticket Members may enter through Park Boulevard Gate or Home Plate Gate two hours before first pitch; special-event gate times can vary.
- Mobile tickets
All Petco Park tickets are digital and are accessed in the MLB Ballpark app for scanning at entry.
Applies to: Petco Park events
- Screenshots are not accepted; transfer tickets to each attendee's account before the event when possible.
- Re-entry
Petco Park permits re-entry when the digital ticket is scanned before exit and scanned again on return.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- On some giveaway days, re-entry is unavailable until promotional items run out or the third inning ends; re-entry is prohibited after the event concludes.
- Prohibited items
Petco Park prohibits weapons, firearms, knives, fireworks, illegal drugs, aerosol cans, outside alcohol, glass containers, hard-sided coolers, drones, and laser pointers.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- Bats, most sports equipment, inflatables, noisemakers, selfie sticks, large umbrellas, rigid chairs, and cameras with lenses longer than six inches are also prohibited; review the official list before arrival.
- Items left in gate amnesty boxes are not returned.
- First aid
First Aid stations are at Section 108 and between Sections 129 and 131 in Padres Power Alley.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- Trained medical personnel are on duty for all events; locations may differ for concerts and other special events.
- Nursing and lactation
The Sharp Mary Birch Nursing Lounge is in Terrace Suite 32 for Padres baseball games.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- The location may change for other events.
- Family restrooms
Family and all-gender restrooms are near Sections 109, 202, 219, 310, and 311.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- Tickets for children
Children under 36 inches tall may enter free with an adult who has a valid ticket.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- The child must sit on the adult's lap and may not occupy another seat.
- Guest services
Guest Services assistance is available near Sections 108, 131, and 303 and in Gallagher Square.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- For in-park help, text the issue and location to 619-279-5881 or report it through the MLB Ballpark app.
- Service animals
Individually trained service dogs and miniature horses are welcome when their work or tasks relate directly to the guest's disability.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- Animals that provide only emotional support or companionship are not admitted.
- Smoking and vaping
Petco Park is smoke-free, including vaping and e-cigarettes.
Applies to: San Diego Padres games
- Chewing and smokeless tobacco are also prohibited.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Petco Park, hour by hour.
Arrive in the Gaslamp Quarter
Walk 5th Avenue, restaurants, rooftop bars, and craft beer spots line the street.
Pregame in the Gaslamp or East Village
Grab a craft beer at Ballast Point, Stone, or one of many taprooms near the stadium.
Enter Petco Park
Walk through the gates and take in the Southern California sun. The 360-degree open concourse is stunning.
Explore and grab food
Fish tacos, carne asada fries, and craft beer are the essentials. Walk the full concourse.
Find your seat or Gallagher Square
Settle into your seat or grab a spot on the lawn beyond center field.
Play ball
Nine innings in near-perfect weather. Golden hour hits around the 3rd inning for 7:10 PM starts.
Stand up and stretch
Grab a final craft beer from the concourse under the San Diego sky.
Walk to the Gaslamp
Bars and restaurants stay open late, the Gaslamp is a 5-minute walk.
Tips & Fan Reports
You should have no problem getting a bobblehead if you are an hour early but there are spots to hang out in the park if you want to go earlier. If it is a day game consider shade - sun side gets brutal.
The Gaslamp Quarter is a 5-minute walk, one of the best pregame bar scenes in baseball.
Petco Park has the best weather of any MLB ballpark. It almost never rains.
The Park at the Park (beyond center field) is a grassy area where you can watch the game for cheap. Great for families.
San Diego weather means nearly every game is comfortable. No dome needed when it's 72°F and sunny 300 days a year.
Petco Park's Gaslamp Quarter location makes it one of the best-situated ballparks in MLB. Walk to 100+ restaurants postgame.
Gallagher Square beyond center field is lawn, big screens, and a social bar scene.
Weather
Petco Park is open air, so these are the conditions you sit in.
Across the MLB season the warmest month is August, with an average high of 77°F, and the coldest is April, when the average low is 57°F. April is the wettest month at 0.7 inches and August the driest at 0.0 inches.
That April low ranks 26th coldest of the 30 MLB venues, and April here ranks 29th wettest.
April
0.7 inchesMay
0.3 inchesJune
0.1 inchesJuly
0.1 inchesAugust
0.0 inchesSeptember
0.1 inchesOctober
0.5 inchesSan Diego Padres Clear Bag Policy
Most venues require a clear bag. Get an approved one before you travel.
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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.
- Game day timeline
Gate opening time checked against the venue's own gate-opening policy: All Petco Park entry gates open 90 minutes before first pitch.
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Padres information, accessibility, food, and digital-ticket guidance reviewed for entry, family, payment, food, parking, and accessibility rules.