Barclays Center Game Day Guide
Brooklyn Nets · Brooklyn, NY
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Hard-sided bags and bags larger than 10 x 6 x 2 inches are prohibited at Barclays Center.
Medical needs and guests caring for infants receive special consideration. All bags are screened and may be X-rayed.
- Bag storage
Barclays Center does not provide bag check or storage for noncompliant personal belongings.
Return the item to a vehicle or make other arrangements before entry.
- Gate opening
Barclays Center doors open 90 minutes before the scheduled start of Nets games.
Guests dining in Crown Club may enter two hours before tipoff.
- Mobile tickets
All Barclays Center tickets must be accessed digitally; printed tickets and screenshots are not accepted for entry.
Barcodes generate 24 to 72 hours before the event. Save the ticket to an Apple or Google wallet before arrival and increase screen brightness for scanning.
- Re-entry
Barclays Center has a no re-entry policy for Nets games.
- Prohibited items
Prohibited items include weapons, oversized or hard-sided bags, cans and bottles, insulated containers, professional cameras, recording devices, lasers, illegal drugs, alcohol, fireworks, projectiles, oversized or pole-mounted signs, offensive materials, inflatables, lighters, coolers, pointed umbrellas, outside food or drink, noisemakers, optical-illusion items, drones, skateboards, and rollerblades.
Management may prohibit other items. Certain sporting events allow reusable water bottles up to 24 ounces, but glass is never permitted.
- First aid
First Aid is on the Main Concourse near Guest Services outside Section 12 and on the Upper Pavilion near Section 212.
EMTs are available at every event, and AEDs are at both First Aid locations.
- Nursing and lactation
Guests may nurse wherever comfortable, and a private nursing and pumping pod is outside Section 12 on the Main Concourse.
Ask Guest Services outside Sections 12/112 or Section 212 for pod access.
- Family restrooms
All-gender restrooms are available on every Barclays Center level, and baby-changing tables are in every restroom except the event-level restroom amenities.
- Tickets for children
Children younger than 2 may enter Nets games free when seated on a ticketed adult's lap; children age 2 or older need a ticket and must use their assigned seat.
- Guest services
Guest Services Centers are outside Section 12/112 on the Main Concourse and behind Section 212 on the Upper Pavilion.
During a game, staff handle questions, accessibility help, and concerns. Guests may also report an issue through the posted Titan HST QR codes or by texting their issue and location to 949-216-5686.
- Service animals
Individually trained service dogs and miniature horses are welcome when their work or tasks directly relate to a guest's disability.
Animals that provide only emotional support or companionship are not permitted.
- Smoking and vaping
Barclays Center and its property are smoke-free and vape-free.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Barclays Center, hour by hour.
Arrive in the neighborhood
Take the subway to Atlantic Ave-Barclays Ctr. Explore the Fort Greene or Prospect Heights neighborhoods for a pregame meal.
Pregame dining
Grab dinner at one of the many restaurants on Flatbush Avenue or Vanderbilt Avenue. The options range from casual to upscale.
Doors open
Enter Barclays Center and explore the concourse. Check out the team store and watch the Nets warm up.
Find your seat
Settle into your seat and enjoy the arena's rust-colored exterior glow through the glass atrium entrance.
Game time
The Barclays Center crowd has developed a strong identity. Nets games run about 2-2.5 hours.
Halftime break
Hit the concourse for Brooklyn-style eats. The food hall options are a step above typical arena fare.
Post-game scene
Spill out onto Flatbush Avenue. The bars in Fort Greene and Prospect Heights stay busy after games.
Tips & Fan Reports
Security lets you go down to lower bowl before players go back to the locker room, which is about 45 minutes before start. Away team tunnel is middle of section 16. Nets tunnel is between sections 3 and 4.
Atlantic Avenue has a Shake Shack, Junior's Cheesecake, and dozens of other options within a 5-minute walk.
Nets tickets are among the most affordable in New York, a great way to see NBA basketball on a budget.
The subway hub at Barclays means you can get here from almost anywhere in NYC without a car.
Fort Greene and Prospect Heights have excellent pregame restaurant options within walking distance.
Take the subway, Atlantic Ave-Barclays Ctr is one of the best-connected stations in NYC with 9 train lines.
Halftime lines are shorter than at MSG. Still, buy food during the first or third quarter to be safe.
10 by 6 by 2 inches is the ceiling and backpacks are refused outright. Travel light or leave it behind.
Three drop-off zones exist: two on Atlantic Avenue and one on Flatbush by the Main Entrance.
Doors open 90 minutes before a Nets game.
Before the Game
Barclays Center faces Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn and publishes no tailgating policy. It runs no lots of its own, and SpotHero is its official parking partner for the surrounding garages. Doors open 90 minutes before a Nets game. The bag rule is among the tightest in the NBA: backpacks are refused outright, and so is any bag larger than 10 by 6 by 2 inches. Three entrances sit on Atlantic Avenue: the Atlantic Entrance on the northeast corner, the Crown Entrance on the northwest corner past the Event Level VIP entrance, and the American Express Card Member entrance, with drop-off zones along Atlantic Avenue and one on Flatbush outside the Main Entrance.
Where to Go Before the Game
The Atlantic Entrance, northeast corner
On Atlantic Avenue at the northeast corner of the arena, with a designated drop-off and pickup zone on the street outside it.
Known for Atlantic Avenue · Northeast corner · Drop-off zone outside
The Crown Entrance, northwest corner
Also on Atlantic Avenue, at the northwest corner just past the Event Level VIP entrance, the other main way in from that side.
Known for Atlantic Avenue · Northwest corner
The Flatbush Avenue drop-off
A third designated drop-off and pickup zone along Flatbush outside the Main Entrance, separate from the two on Atlantic Avenue.
Known for On Flatbush · Outside the Main Entrance
Brooklyn garages via SpotHero
The arena runs no parking itself; SpotHero is its official partner for booking nearby garages and lots in advance.
Known for Official partner · Book ahead · No arena lots
Pregame Rules
What Barclays Center allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Backpacks, and any bag measuring larger than 10" x 6" x 2", are not permitted.
- For Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty games, doors open 90 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.
- The Atlantic Entrance is at the northeast corner of the arena on Atlantic Avenue. The Crown Entrance is at the northwest corner on Atlantic Avenue, just past the Event Level VIP Entrance. The American Express Card Member Entrance is also accessed from Atlantic Avenue.
- Two drop-off and pickup zones are designated along Atlantic Avenue outside the VIP Entrance and the Atlantic Entrance, and one along Flatbush outside the Main Entrance.
- SpotHero is an official partner of Barclays Center for booking parking in advance.
Weather
Barclays 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 65°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 28°F. March is the wettest month at 4.4 inches and January the driest at 3.5 inches.
That January low ranks 12th coldest of the 30 NBA venues, and March here ranks 10th wettest.
October
4.0 inchesDecember
4.0 inchesJanuary
3.5 inchesMarch
4.4 inchesApril
3.9 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are prohibited, with exceptions for medical requirements and special needs arranged through Guest Services before the game.
- A card or a phone wallet
Barclays Center has cash-free concession locations and accepts major credit cards and mobile wallets.
- A coat for the walk in
January lows average 28°F between the lot and the door at Barclays Center.
- A poncho for the walk in, not an umbrella
Umbrellas are on Barclays Center's prohibited list, and March averages 4.4 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: Barclays Center doors open 90 minutes before the scheduled start of Nets games.
- Pregame
Barclays Center official site: A-Z Guide, Entrances, Parking, and Public Transportation & Driving
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Barclays Center A-Z, disabled-services, prohibited-items, and parking pages plus official Brooklyn Nets game-day guidance reviewed for Nets policies.