Golden 1 Center Game Day Guide
Sacramento Kings · Sacramento, CA
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Backpacks are prohibited, and other bags must not exceed 8 x 6 x 1 inches.
Medical bags must be searched and tagged by a security supervisor. Baby bags up to 16 x 16 x 8 inches, plastic bottles, and formula are permitted.
- Bag storage
Golden 1 Center directs guests to store prohibited bags and items elsewhere; otherwise they may be confiscated or discarded.
- Gate opening
Golden 1 Center doors open 90 minutes before tipoff for Sacramento Kings games.
- Mobile tickets
Use the Kings ClickTix account to view and manage mobile tickets, transfer tickets, and display the barcode for Golden 1 Center entry.
Transferred tickets arrive by email and must be accepted before use; some tickets are not eligible for transfer.
- Re-entry
Golden 1 Center normally prohibits re-entry, but guests with a personal emergency or a prohibited item to return must first arrange an exception with a Security Supervisor or Manager through Guest Services.
- Prohibited items
Prohibited items include smoking products, weapons and knives, aerosols, bottles and cans, backpacks and oversized bags, coolers, outside food or drink except baby food or formula, laptops, radios, bats, drones, balloons, professional cameras, poles and selfie sticks, large signs, illegal substances, pepper spray, lasers, noisemakers, fireworks, and recording devices.
Cowbells are the only listed noisemaker exception for Kings games. Management may reject other items it considers dangerous.
- First aid
First Aid is on the Event Level beside the Security Office, Plaza Level across from Section 118, and Bridge Level across from Section 207.
Emergency Medical Technicians are on site for every event.
- Nursing and lactation
A Mamava breastfeeding pod is across from Section 211, and nursing is also available in the First Aid offices and Event Level club lounges.
The three public First Aid locations are beside Event Level Security, across from Plaza Section 118, and across from Bridge Section 207.
- Family restrooms
Family restrooms are on the Event Level in the three club lounges; Plaza Level at Sections 105, 114, 118, and 121; Loft Level outside L13 and L42; Suite Level outside S11 and S34; and Bridge Level at Sections 203 and 220.
Changing tables are in all women's restrooms and all family restrooms.
- Tickets for children
Children younger than 24 months are normally admitted free when seated on an adult's lap; every child 24 months or older needs a ticket.
Family shows may use a different age requirement.
- Guest services
Guest Services locations are across from Section 109 on the Plaza Level and Section 207 on the Bridge Level.
Ambassadors are also stationed at every arena entrance and can provide accessibility help, directions, and assistance with in-game concerns.
- Service animals
Individually trained service dogs are welcome when their work or tasks directly relate to the guest's disability; emotional-support and companion animals are not permitted.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoking and tobacco use are prohibited inside Golden 1 Center and within 250 feet of the arena, including cigarettes, pipes, cigars, snuff, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes, and vaporizers.
Guests who leave to smoke cannot re-enter.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Golden 1 Center, hour by hour.
Arrive at DOCO
Park in the DOCO garage or take light rail. Explore Downtown Commons, restaurants, bars, and retail.
Pregame dining
Eat at one of the DOCO restaurants, Echo & Rig, Punchbowl Social, or Iron Horse Tavern.
Doors open
Enter the arena to watch warm-ups. The open-air design lets in the California breeze on mild nights.
Find your seat
The arena fills with one of the NBA's most loyal fan bases. Light the beam!
Game time
The 'Light the Beam' tradition after wins has made Golden 1 Center one of the loudest arenas in the league. Total game time is about 2-2.5 hours.
Halftime break
The farm-to-fork concessions are worth exploring. Local craft beer options from Sacramento-area breweries.
Post-game scene
If the Kings win, stay for the beam ceremony! DOCO restaurants and bars stay open after the game.
Tips & Fan Reports
They have a cardboard cutout example of the allowed bag size at the entrance. Check the website before you go because they will make you go back to your car if your bag is too large.
Sacramento's farm-to-fork identity shines in the arena food. Try something local.
The arena has an open-air design, on mild nights, outdoor areas are open to the California air.
'Light the Beam' after wins is a must-see. Stick around after a Kings victory.
DOCO (Downtown Commons) plaza outside Golden 1 Center has restaurants and bars that stay open late postgame.
SacRT light rail to 7th & Capitol station drops you right at the arena. $2.50 each way.
Golden 1 Center sources 90% of its food from within 150 miles - the local food program is one of the best in sports.
Parking is the City of Sacramento's, bought through SacPark rather than the arena.
Three named pedestrian walkways lead in; light rail stops within a block of all of them.
Garages open two hours before tip-off, and DOCO around the arena is open well before that.
Before the Game
Golden 1 Center sits in the middle of Downtown Commons, 1.5 million square feet of retail, restaurants and entertainment, with multiple light rail stations within a block, so the pregame is DOCO itself and no tailgating policy exists. Parking garages open two hours before tip-off, with pre-paid passes sold through the City of Sacramento's SacPark rather than the arena. The bag limit is 8 by 6 by 1 inch, one of the tightest anywhere, though there is a notable carve-out: baby bags, plastic bottles and formula are permitted in a bag up to 16 by 16 by 8.
Where to Go Before the Game
Downtown Commons (DOCO)
The 1.5 million square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space the arena sits in the middle of, the pregame here, and the reason the building has no need of a tailgate.
Known for Surrounds the arena · Restaurants and bars · 1.5m sq ft
The light rail stations within a block
Multiple light rail stations sit within a block of the arena, which the venue itself points to as the family-friendly way in.
Known for Within a block · Multiple stations · Arena-recommended
The pedestrian walkways at 5th & J, 7th & K and 5th & L
Three named pedestrian approaches into the arena: at 5th and J Street, 7th and K Street, and 5th and L Street.
Known for Three walkways · 5th & J, 7th & K, 5th & L
The SacPark garages
Parking garages associated with the arena open two hours before tip-off, with pre-paid passes bought through the City of Sacramento's SacPark site rather than from the arena.
Known for Open 2 hours before · City-operated · Pre-pay via SacPark
Pregame Rules
What Golden 1 Center allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Bags larger than 8" x 6" x 1" are not allowed into the arena.
- Medical and parental bags are permitted but must go through X-ray security screening.
- Baby bags, plastic bottles and formula are permitted, in a bag no larger than 16" x 16" x 8".
- Parking garages associated with the arena open two hours prior to the start of the event or tip-off.
- Pre-paid parking passes can be bought online for both arena events and Kings games through the City of Sacramento via the SacPark website.
- Multiple light rail stations are within a block of the arena, and pedestrian walkways run via 5th & J Street, 7th & K Street and 5th & L Street.
- The arena sits in the middle of Downtown Commons, 1.5 million square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment venues.
Weather
Golden 1 Center is indoor, so these are the conditions for the parking lot and the walk in, not the seats.
Across the NBA season the warmest month is October, with an average high of 79°F, and the coldest is December, when the average low is 41°F. January is the wettest month at 3.9 inches and October the driest at 0.9 inches.
That December low ranks 22nd coldest of the 30 NBA venues, and January here ranks 17th wettest.
October
0.9 inchesDecember
3.5 inchesJanuary
3.9 inchesMarch
2.8 inchesApril
1.4 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are prohibited, but baby food and formula are permitted.
- A card or a phone wallet
Golden 1 Center is cashless and accepts major chip cards, contactless tap-to-pay, and payment-enabled mobile or wearable devices.
- A layer for the walk in
December evenings average 41°F outside Golden 1 Center.
- A rain layer for the walk in
January averages 3.9 inches of rain outside Golden 1 Center.
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: Golden 1 Center doors open 90 minutes before tipoff for Sacramento Kings games.
- Pregame
Golden 1 Center official site: Directions & Parking, FAQs, Prohibited Items, and Downtown Commons
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Golden 1 Center FAQ, accessibility, parking, prohibited-items, and dining pages plus official Sacramento Kings support and app guidance reviewed for Kings game-day policies.