Great American Ball Park Game Day Guide
Cincinnati Reds · Cincinnati, OH
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Bags and soft-sided coolers may measure no more than 16 x 16 x 8 inches.
Multi-pocket backpacks are prohibited unless designed for medical or infant care. Small purses, food bags, and Reds Heads bags distributed beginning in 2020 are permitted and all carry-ins are inspected.
- Gate opening
For most 2026 games, gates open 60 minutes before first pitch Monday through Thursday and 90 minutes before first pitch Friday through Sunday.
Opening Day gates open two hours early, Kids Opening Day and several listed games have special times, and the Reds may alter the schedule; check the official guide for the game date.
- Mobile tickets
All Reds tickets are delivered through the MLB Ballpark app and must be scanned from a mobile device or Apple Wallet.
Screenshots, print-at-home tickets, printouts, and barcode copies shown in third-party apps are not accepted. Guests with a dead device should visit a Great American Ball Park Ticket Office window.
- Re-entry
Limited re-entry is available only through the designated Gapper's Alley gate.
Have the ticket scanned before exiting, return through the same designated gate, and complete security screening again; no carry-in items are permitted through the re-entry gate.
- Prohibited items
Great American Ball Park prohibits weapons, firearms, pocketknives, explosives, drones, hard-sided coolers, outside alcohol, glass and cans, and noncompliant bags.
Noisemakers, lasers, selfie sticks, tripods, monopods, hoverboards, masks, sticks, bats, poles, and opened plastic bottles are also prohibited; review the official list before arrival.
- First aid
TriHealth First Aid Stations are near Terrace Level Sections 109-110 and 125-126 and View Level Section 411.
Trained medical personnel staff the stations for every game and large event.
- Nursing and lactation
Two private Pampers Nursing Suites are on the Suite Level and in the View Level TriHealth Family Zone.
The suites include gliders, sinks, refrigeration, private restrooms, changing stations, and lockers for nursing items during the game.
- Family restrooms
Family restrooms are near Terrace Level Sections 101, 109, 120, 127, and 136 and View Level Sections 413 and 437.
All public and family restrooms are accessible and have diaper-changing stations.
- Tickets for children
Children age three and younger receive complimentary admission when seated on a parent or guardian's lap.
Children age four and older need a ticket, and promotional giveaways are limited to ticketed guests.
- Guest services
TriHealth Fan Accommodation Stations are near Terrace Level Section 119, View Level Section 420, and in the Fan Zone.
For in-game safety help, text REDS and the issue to 69050.
- Service animals
Service dogs and miniature horses trained to assist guests with disabilities are permitted at Great American Ball Park.
Comfort animals and other animals are not permitted.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoking and vaping are prohibited inside Great American Ball Park.
A designated area is outside Gapper's Alley behind Section 119 and is reached through the limited re-entry gate; it may close at the Reds' discretion.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Great American Ball Park, hour by hour.
Arrive at The Banks
Walk the riverfront promenade between the ballpark and the river. The Banks restaurants and bars are already filling with Reds fans.
Pregame at The Banks
Holy Grail, Moerlein Lager House, and the bars along Freedom Way create a lively pregame scene. Grab a Rhinegeist Truth IPA and enjoy the riverfront.
Enter the ballpark
Walk through the Crosley Terrace entrance past the Reds legends statues. The ballpark's riverfront setting is immediately striking.
Watch batting practice
Head to the outfield sections for BP. The Ohio River and Roebling Bridge provide a scenic backdrop to the pre-game warm-ups.
Find your seat
Settle in and watch the grounds crew prep the diamond. The video board plays Reds history highlights and lineup introductions.
Play ball
Nine innings of Reds baseball on the riverfront. The Great American Ball Park plays as a hitter's park. Expect some fireworks.
Stand up and stretch
The crowd sings 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game.' Grab a final round of Skyline Chili coneys and a local craft beer.
Riverfront nightlife
Walk to The Banks or across the Roebling Bridge to Covington's MainStrasse Village for post-game drinks and dinner.
Tips & Fan Reports
Great American Ball Park is one of the better hitter's parks in MLB. Expect more home runs than average.
The Banks entertainment district on the riverfront connects GABP to the restaurants, bars, and the Ohio River walk.
GABP and Paycor Stadium (Bengals) share the same riverfront. Check if there's a Reds/Bengals same-day opportunity.
Cincinnati streetcar ($1) runs through downtown to The Banks area near the ballpark.
The Banks entertainment district between the ballpark and Paul Brown Stadium is the pregame hub. Get there 2+ hours early.
Walk across the Roebling Suspension Bridge from Covington, KY. It's a scenic 10-minute walk and you save on parking.
Book the Central Riverfront Garage ahead by phone or online rather than chancing it.
The West and East Garages take single-game passes too but depend on availability.
Everything not pre-sold is first come, first served.
Lots open five hours before first pitch, so an early arrival is genuinely rewarded here.
Before the Game
Great American Ball Park opens its parking lots five hours before game time, which is among the longest lead-ins in baseball and gives the riverfront a genuinely long pregame. Single-game parking passes cover the Central Riverfront Garage and the West and East Garages, subject to availability, and everything else is sold first come, first served. Central Riverfront passes can be bought in advance from the club by phone on (513) 765-7400 or online.
Where to Go Before the Game
The Central Riverfront Garage
The main garage under the riverfront beside the ballpark, with single-game passes bookable in advance from the club by phone on (513) 765-7400 or online.
Known for Bookable in advance · On the riverfront · Single-game passes
The West and East Garages
The two flanking garages, also covered by single-game parking passes and subject to availability on the day.
Known for Single-game passes · Subject to availability
The five-hour window
Parking lots open five hours before game time, one of the longest lead-ins in baseball, which makes the riverfront around the ballpark the pregame.
Known for Lots open 5 hours before · Long pregame window
Pregame Rules
What Great American Ball Park allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Great American Ball Park parking lots open five hours before game time.
- Single game parking passes are available in the Central Riverfront Garage, the West Garage and the East Garage, subject to availability.
- Parking passes valid for the Central Riverfront Garage can be purchased in advance by contacting the Reds on (513) 765-7400 or online.
- Parking is otherwise sold on a first come, first served basis, based on availability.
Weather
Great American Ball 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 87°F, and the coldest is April, when the average low is 43°F. May is the wettest month at 4.7 inches and October the driest at 3.0 inches.
That April low ranks 11th coldest of the 30 MLB venues, and May here ranks 13th wettest.
April
4.4 inchesMay
4.7 inchesJune
4.6 inchesJuly
4.4 inchesAugust
3.4 inchesSeptember
3.1 inchesOctober
3.0 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Guests may bring food, soft-sided coolers up to 16 x 16 x 8 inches, and unopened nonalcoholic drinks in sealed clear plastic bottles.
- A card or a phone wallet
All concession stands and the Reds Box Office are cashless.
- A warm layer for after dark
April nights average 43°F at Great American Ball Park.
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat
July highs average 87°F at Great American Ball Park, with no roof over the seats.
- A rain layer
May averages 4.7 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: For most 2026 games, gates open 60 minutes before first pitch Monday through Thursday and 90 minutes before first pitch Friday through Sunday.
- Pregame
Cincinnati Reds official site: Where to Park at Great American Ball Park, and Single Game Parking Passes
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Reds Great American Ball Park, food, transportation, and mobile-ticket guidance reviewed for entry, family, payment, food, parking, and accessibility rules.