Smoothie King Center Game Day Guide
New Orleans Pelicans · New Orleans, LA
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Backpacks are prohibited, and other bags, purses, or briefcases cannot exceed 14 x 14 x 6 inches.
All guests and bags are subject to security screening. Event-specific management may change the policy, so check the game listing before traveling.
- Gate opening
General doors open one hour before Pelicans tipoff; qualifying premium season-ticket holders may enter 90 minutes before tipoff.
Premium early entry includes club, suite, and floor-level patrons. The team recommends arriving early enough to clear screening before tipoff.
- Mobile tickets
Pelicans tickets and parking passes are fully mobile and must be displayed on a phone through the Pelicans or SeatGeek app.
Open and save tickets before reaching the arena or parking garage, where the mobile pass must be presented for scanning.
- Re-entry
Re-entry is not permitted after leaving Smoothie King Center.
- Prohibited items
Prohibited items include backpacks and oversized bags, bottles, cans and glass, weapons, fireworks, drones, lasers, selfie sticks, poles, noisemakers, tablets, outside food or drink, and video or audio recording devices.
Service dogs are the exception to the animal prohibition. The list is non-exhaustive, management may reject other unsafe items, and event-specific rules can change.
- First aid
First Aid stations are at Sections 123 and 313 during Smoothie King Center events.
Report an emergency to the nearest staff member or call the venue at 504-587-3663; call 911 for an immediate emergency.
- Nursing and lactation
Mamava nursing pods are in the Northeast Ground corridor, near Sections 110/111, and on the Suite Level near Suite 219.
Visit the nearest Guest Services desk for an access code.
- Family restrooms
Family restrooms are at East Ground, the Elevator 1 & 2 entrance, Section 108, and Section 310.
Baby-changing stations are available at the same four locations.
- Tickets for children
Children age 2 or younger do not need a Pelicans ticket if they sit on an adult's lap.
A ticket is required when the child will use a separate seat.
- Guest services
Guest Services is on the Ground Level between the Northeast and East entrances and on the concourses across from Sections 108 and 310.
The Section 108 desk handles accessibility equipment, lost and found, sensory bags, and the children's If Lost wristband program.
- Service animals
Trained service animals that assist guests with disabilities are permitted inside Smoothie King Center; comfort animals are not recognized as service animals.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoothie King Center is entirely smoke-free, including electronic cigarettes and vaporizers, both inside and outside within the security perimeter.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Smoothie King Center, hour by hour.
Explore the neighborhood
Walk the Warehouse District art galleries or head to the French Quarter for beignets and jazz.
Pregame dining
Eat at one of the Warehouse District restaurants, Cochon, Pêche, or Emeril's. Or grab a po'boy from a local shop.
Doors open
Enter the arena. The intimate size means even upper-deck seats feel close to the action.
Find your seat
Settle in. Pelicans games have a distinctly New Orleans flavor, brass band music, second-line dancing, and Mardi Gras energy.
Game time
The arena may be small but the atmosphere is big. The Pelicans' mascot Pierre is a fan favorite. Total game time is about 2-2.5 hours.
Halftime break
The gumbo and po'boys inside the arena are legit New Orleans food, not just arena fare.
Post-game scene
Walk to the French Quarter for live music and cocktails. Frenchmen Street has the best local music scene.
Tips & Fan Reports
The Warehouse District (between the arena and French Quarter) has excellent restaurants that are less touristy than Bourbon.
Smoothie King Center sits next to the Caesars Superdome (Saints) - same parking lots and transit options.
The French Quarter is a 20-minute walk. Plan a pregame stroll through the Quarter.
New Orleans food is the real star. Eat at a real restaurant before settling for arena food.
The arena's brass band and second-line performances are a unique NBA experience.
Every garage is card-only, with no cash option at any of the seven.
Rideshare drops on Poydras between Clara and Loyola, not at the arena itself.
The 14 by 14 by 6 inch limit is roomy by arena standards: a backpack within it is fine here, unlike at most NBA venues.
The parking is shared with the Superdome complex, so a big event next door changes what is available.
Before the Game
The Smoothie King Center shares its parking with the Superdome next door: seven public garages and two surface lots between them, holding roughly 7,000 vehicles, and all the garages take credit or debit cards only. Rideshare has a designated zone on Poydras Street between Clara Street and Loyola Avenue. The bag limit is a relatively generous 14 by 14 by 6 inches for any bag, purse, backpack or briefcase, with declared medically necessary items admitted after inspection. On game days the Pelicans Team Store opens to ticketed fans at the door time, an hour before tip-off.
Where to Go Before the Game
The seven public garages
Garages numbered 1, 1A, 2, 2A, 5, 6 and the Champions Garage, shared with the Superdome complex next door and holding around 7,000 vehicles with the two surface lots. All take credit or debit cards only.
Known for Seven garages · Card only · Shared with the Superdome
Lot 3 and Lot 4
The two surface lots serving the complex, adjacent to the arena alongside the garages.
Known for Surface parking · Adjacent to the arena
The Poydras Street rideshare zone
The designated drop-off and pick-up point for rideshare, on Poydras Street between Clara Street and Loyola Avenue rather than at the arena doors.
Known for On Poydras Street · Between Clara and Loyola · Rideshare only
Pregame Rules
What Smoothie King Center allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Any bag, purse, backpack or briefcase larger than 14" x 14" x 6" is not allowed into the arena. An exception is made for declared medically necessary items, after proper inspection.
- The facility has seven parking garages and two surface lots adjacent to the arena, accommodating approximately 7,000 vehicles. The public garages are numbered 1, 1A, 2, 2A, 5, 6 and the Champions Garage; the surface lots are Lot 3 and Lot 4.
- Parking garages accept credit or debit cards only.
- The designated rideshare drop-off and pick-up zone is on Poydras Street between Clara Street and Loyola Avenue.
- On game days the Pelicans Team Store opens to ticketed fans at game day door time, one hour prior to tip-off. Door opening is at the discretion of show management and event pages carry specific times.
Weather
Smoothie King 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 83°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 47°F. January is the wettest month at 5.0 inches and October the driest at 3.6 inches.
That January low ranks 25th coldest of the 30 NBA venues, and January here ranks 5th wettest.
October
3.6 inchesDecember
4.5 inchesJanuary
5.0 inchesMarch
4.6 inchesApril
5.0 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are not allowed inside Smoothie King Center.
- A card or a phone wallet
Smoothie King Center is cashless for concessions, merchandise, and parking and accepts credit or debit cards.
- A layer for the walk in
January evenings average 47°F outside Smoothie King Center.
- A rain layer for the walk in
January averages 5.0 inches of rain outside Smoothie King 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: General doors open one hour before Pelicans tipoff; qualifying premium season-ticket holders may enter 90 minutes before tipoff.
- Pregame
Smoothie King Center official site: Directions & Parking, A to Z Guide, and the Pelicans game day pages
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current New Orleans Pelicans and Smoothie King Center fan, accessibility, parking, and dining guidance reviewed for Pelicans policies.