Golden 1 Center Pregame Guide
Sacramento Kings · Sacramento, CA
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.
Tips & Fan Reports
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.
The general bag limit is 8 by 6 by 1 inch, but a baby bag may be up to 16 by 16 by 8 — a much larger carve-out than most arenas allow.
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
Rules to Know
What Golden 1 Center allows, 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.
- The arena publishes no tailgating policy.
What to Bring
- A bag the gate will accept
Backpacks are prohibited, and other bags must not exceed 8 x 6 x 1 inches.
- 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.
- Your tickets on a charged phone
Use the Kings ClickTix account to view and manage mobile tickets, transfer tickets, and display the barcode for Golden 1 Center entry.
- 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.
Sacramento Kings Tailgate Gear
Canopies, grills, coolers, and official Sacramento Kings 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
Golden 1 Center official site: Directions & Parking, FAQs, Prohibited Items, and Downtown Commons
- 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.
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals