Ball Arena Game Day Guide
Denver Nuggets · Denver, CO
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Only clutches, wristlets, and fanny packs up to 4 x 6 x 1.5 inches are allowed; purses and backpacks are prohibited.
Medical and diaper bags up to 14 x 14 x 6 inches are allowed after X-ray screening at VIP/ADA Door 1 in the Grand or East Atrium.
- Bag storage
Paid Binbox lockers are near the Infinity Sculpture and Spires on the Grand Atrium Plaza, with prices starting at $12 per bag.
Lockers open 30 minutes before general doors, accept cards and mobile payments but not cash, and close one hour after the event. Stored bags cannot be accessed during the game because re-entry is prohibited.
- Gate opening
Doors generally open one hour before the game.
Confirm the game-specific opening time with Guest Relations at 303-405-8548.
- Mobile tickets
All event tickets and parking passes are digital and should be added to a mobile wallet before arrival.
There is no in-person ticket purchasing at Ball Arena; tickets are purchased online and delivered electronically.
- Re-entry
Ball Arena does not permit re-entry after a guest exits.
- Prohibited items
The arena prohibits weapons and self-defense items, outside alcohol, drugs, cans and glass, hard coolers, drones, fireworks, large or pointed umbrellas, lasers, noisemakers, laptops, professional camera equipment, recording gear, selfie sticks, and oversized bags.
Empty non-glass bottles up to 32 ounces, iPads, GoPros, and basketballs are permitted for Nuggets games. Check the current official list because event restrictions can change.
- First aid
The staffed First Aid Station is on the Lower Level across from Section 132, and paramedics patrol during events.
Ask any arena staff member for medical assistance.
- Nursing and lactation
UCHealth Nursing Suites are near Section 132 and on the Upper Level at Section 348; the Section 132 suite is wheelchair accessible.
The suites include a fold-down table, benches, and outlets. Guests may also nurse at First Aid if both suites are occupied.
- Family restrooms
Accessible all-gender and family restrooms are available in the arena.
Baby-changing stations are installed in all men's, women's, family, and all-gender restrooms.
- Tickets for children
Children age 3 and older need a ticket for Nuggets games; younger children may sit on a ticketed guest's lap.
- Guest services
Guest Relations kiosks are in the Grand Atrium lobby and near Sections 120 and 375.
Call 303-405-8548, email GuestRelations@TeamKSE.com, or text 920-520-2255 with your seat location and issue during an event.
- Service animals
Service animals assisting guests with disabilities are permitted and must remain leashed or harnessed in the guest's seating area.
Visit the Grand Atrium for directions to the animal relief exit and re-entry route; other animals are prohibited.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoking and vaping are prohibited, and there are no smoking areas available during events.
Guests who leave to smoke cannot re-enter; city rules also prohibit smoking within 30 feet of entry doors.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Ball Arena, hour by hour.
Arrive in LoDo or at the arena
Take the RTD light rail to Auraria West station or park in the arena lots. Explore LoDo's restaurants and breweries.
Pregame dining
Grab dinner at Wynkoop Brewing, Euclid Hall, or one of the Dairy Block restaurants. Green chile everything is the Denver way.
Doors open
Enter the arena and explore the concourse. The Nuggets team store has championship gear from 2023. Grab a green chile cheeseburger.
Find your seat
Settle in for the Nuggets' intro show and player introductions. The championship banner hangs in the rafters.
Game time
Nuggets games have an energized, championship-confident atmosphere. The altitude advantage is real, visiting teams tire in the fourth quarter. Total game time is about 2-2.5 hours.
Halftime break
Hit the concourse for Colorado craft beer or Rocky Mountain nachos. The arena's craft beer selection is outstanding.
Post-game scene
Walk to LoDo or take light rail to Union Station for post-game bars and restaurants. Denver's nightlife is concentrated in LoDo and RiNo.
Tips & Fan Reports
Play a round of bocce and get some food at Rhein Haus before the game then walk over to Ball Arena about an hour before tip-off. Plenty of time to get in, hit the restroom, grab a drink and get settled.
The RTD light rail drops you right at the arena, easier than parking.
Ball Arena altitude is 5,280 feet - visiting fans notice the thin air, especially if you've been drinking. Hydrate.
LoHi neighborhood (10 min walk) has some of Denver's best restaurants for pregame dinner.
Altitude is real at 5,280 feet, drink water between beers and don't overdo it. Alcohol hits harder up here.
Halftime food lines are shorter in the 300-level concourse.
The Platte River trail connects the arena to downtown - a scenic 15-minute walk on nice evenings.
Propane only, under 20 lbs. Charcoal grills and log fires are both prohibited, so the usual stadium kit does not transfer.
This is one of the few arenas where a tailgate is permitted at all, but it is allowed rather than encouraged, and the lots are monitored throughout.
Lots open three hours before the event and take cards, so there is no cash-at-the-gate step.
Before the Game
Ball Arena is one of the few arenas in either league where a tailgate is permitted at all: the venue's own wording is that tailgating is allowed, but not encouraged. What that means in practice is a tailgate without the two things that usually define one: open consumption of alcohol is prohibited across every Toyota parking lot, and charcoal grills and log fires are both banned, leaving propane under 20 lbs as the only fuel. There are no designated tailgating areas, so you work within the spaces you actually bought, and the lots are monitored throughout. They open three hours before tip-off and take cards.
Where to Go Before the Game
The Toyota parking lots
The lots surrounding the arena, named for Toyota models: Camry, Tundra, Rav4 and 4Runner. They open three hours before the event, take credit and debit cards, and are monitored throughout. There are no designated tailgating areas within them: you may occupy only the spaces you actually paid for.
Known for Open 3 hours before · Card accepted · Only the spaces you bought
Camry, Tundra, Rav4 and 4Runner lots
The individually named lots around Ball Arena, each with accessible parking options. Which one your pass names decides where you end up, and saving a space in any of them for a friend is not allowed.
Known for Named by model · Accessible options · No saving spaces
The alcohol line
Open consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in every Toyota parking lot around the arena, the rule that most distinguishes this from a stadium tailgate, since the tailgate itself is permitted.
Known for No open alcohol · All lots · Monitored
Pregame Rules
What Ball Arena allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Tailgating is allowed, but not encouraged, outside Ball Arena.
- There are no designated tailgating areas within the Toyota parking lots, and guests may occupy only the number of spaces they have purchased.
- Saving spaces is not allowed, and all Toyota parking lots are monitored at all times during events.
- Open consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in all Toyota parking lots surrounding Ball Arena.
- Open fires using logs, and charcoal grills, are prohibited. Propane tanks must be less than 20 lbs.
- Ball Arena parking lots open three hours prior to the start of the event.
- Credit and debit cards are accepted at all Toyota Ball Arena parking lots for all events.
Weather
Ball Arena 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 68°F, and the coldest is December, when the average low is 21°F. April is the wettest month at 2.0 inches and January the driest at 0.4 inches.
That December low ranks 7th coldest of the 30 NBA venues, and April here ranks 29th wettest.
October
1.2 inchesDecember
0.5 inchesJanuary
0.4 inchesMarch
1.1 inchesApril
2.0 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are prohibited, but an empty metal or plastic non-glass water bottle up to 32 ounces is allowed.
- A card or a phone wallet
Concessions, suites, and premium locations are primarily cashless and accept debit and credit cards.
- A coat for the walk in
December lows average 21°F between the lot and the door at Ball Arena.
Tailgate Gear
Lots open three hours before the event.
- A propane tank under 20 lbs: charcoal grills and log fires are both prohibited
- No open alcohol: consumption is prohibited across every Toyota lot
- A setup inside the spaces you actually purchased, since there are no designated tailgate areas
- A card rather than cash for the lot
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: Doors generally open one hour before the game.
- Pregame
Ball Arena official site: Arena Policies & FAQ, and Parking & Directions
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Ball Arena policy, accessibility, bag, prohibited-items, food-and-beverage, and parking pages reviewed for Denver Nuggets game-day policies.