Little Caesars Arena Game Day Guide
Detroit Pistons · Detroit, MI
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Single-compartment bags, wallets, clutches, fanny packs, and clear bags smaller than 4 x 6 x 1.5 inches are permitted.
Diaper, parenting, and medically or dietarily necessary bags smaller than 16 x 16 x 8 inches are permitted; larger bags, including cases for laptops, tablets, cameras, and binoculars, are prohibited.
- Gate opening
Doors typically open 90 minutes before Pistons games.
Door times are subject to change.
- Mobile tickets
Arena entry uses mobile tickets; download tickets through the Ticketmaster app or team Account Manager and save them to a digital wallet before arrival.
For mobile-ticket help, visit 313Presents.com/MobileTickets or call 313-471-7000.
- Re-entry
Guests who exit Little Caesars Arena are not permitted to re-enter.
- Prohibited items
The arena prohibits weapons, ammunition and self-defense sprays, outside alcohol, noisemakers, aerosols, large bags, hard containers and coolers, drones, wheeled recreational devices, smoking products, recording devices and mounts, sticks, poles, and throwable or inflatable objects.
Laptops, tablets, iPads, small binoculars, basketballs at basketball events, and qualifying water bottles are permitted without oversized cases. Review the current official list before the game.
- First aid
Medstar First Aid stations are outside Portal 20 on the Street Level and Portal 67 on the Upper Concourse.
- Nursing and lactation
The Parents Room outside Portal 20 on the Street Level provides private curtained nursing areas with outlets, a sink, microwave, refrigerator, and family restroom.
Breast pumps are permitted inside the arena.
- Family restrooms
Family restrooms with changing tables are outside Street Level Portals 5, 9, and 14, inside the Parents Room near Portal 20, and outside Upper Concourse Portals 24, 39/40, 41/42, 59, and 61.
Additional family restrooms are on the Blue Cross Suite and club levels.
- Tickets for children
Guests age 2 and older need a ticket for Pistons games; younger children may sit on a ticketed guest's lap without obstructing another guest's view.
- Guest services
Guest Services is outside Portals 10 and 20 on the Street Level and Portal 67 on the Upper Concourse.
For non-emergency help during an event, text LCAHELP with your issue and location to 313-513-4357.
- Service animals
Guide, signal, and task-trained service dogs or miniature horses assisting guests with disabilities are permitted; other animals are not.
A service animal may not occupy an additional seat unless that adjacent seat has its own ticket.
- Smoking and vaping
Little Caesars Arena is smoke-free; cigarettes, vaping, e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and marijuana use are prohibited.
Violations may result in ejection, and leaving to smoke does not allow re-entry.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Little Caesars Arena, hour by hour.
Arrive in the District Detroit
Park in the arena garage or take the QLine. Explore the District Detroit bars and restaurants along Woodward Avenue.
Pregame dining
Kid Rock's Made in Detroit or Mike's Pizza Bar in the District Detroit are popular pregame spots. Midtown has more diverse options.
Doors open
Enter the arena and explore the via concourse. It connects to outdoor-facing bars and restaurants inside the arena complex.
Find your seat
Settle in. The arena has one of the largest scoreboards in the NBA.
Game time
The Pistons are building a young roster and the fan energy is growing. Games run about 2-2.5 hours.
Halftime break
Hit the concourse for Detroit-style pizza, coney dogs, and local craft beers.
Post-game scene
The District Detroit venues stay open late. Walk north to Midtown for more bar and restaurant options.
Tips & Fan Reports
Little Caesars Arena has a ton of cool stuff inside including Pistons history displays. Get there early to walk around and explore. The mezzanine level gives a nice elevated view if you like being higher up.
District Detroit has improved dramatically since LCA opened. New restaurants on Woodward within walking distance.
The via concourse is unique. It's a street-level walkway with bars and restaurants inside the arena complex.
Little Caesars Arena's concourse is one connected loop - you can walk the entire arena without losing your seat view.
Detroit-style pizza inside the arena is a must-try. It's a legitimate regional specialty.
The QLine streetcar is $1.50 and runs right down Woodward to the arena door.
Pistons tickets are among the cheapest in the NBA, excellent value for a brand-new arena.
Parking opens three hours out and rates move with whatever else is happening in the District that night.
Tailgating is prohibited outright in the Olympia lots (before, during and after), so the pregame here happens indoors or in the District rather than at the car.
Every parking location is credit card only. There is no cash option anywhere in the District.
Before the Game
Tailgating is prohibited around Little Caesars Arena: the lots are run by Olympia Development of Michigan, and their rule covers before, during and after every game and event. What the District offers instead is choice: 32 parking locations spread through it, all within a ten-minute walk of the arena, opening three hours before tip-off and closing two hours after. Every one of them is credit card only, none offers in-and-out or overnight parking, and rates move depending on what else is on in the District that night. The Trinity Health, UWM and Temple West garages sit closest, and hold the nearest accessible spaces.
Where to Go Before the Game
The District Detroit parking
32 parking locations spread through the District, all within a ten-minute walk of the arena. First come, first served, opening three hours before events and closing two hours after, and every location is credit card only.
Known for 32 locations · 10-minute walk · Card only
Trinity Health, UWM and Temple West garages
The three garages offering the closest accessible parking to the arena, which makes them the ones to aim for if the walk matters.
Known for Closest accessible parking · Covered
The Olympia Development lots
The surrounding lots operated by Olympia Development of Michigan, where tailgating is prohibited before, during and after every game and event at the arena.
Known for No tailgating · Before, during or after
Pregame Rules
What Little Caesars Arena allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Tailgating is prohibited in the surrounding parking lots operated by Olympia Development of Michigan, before, during or after games and events at Little Caesars Arena.
- There are 32 parking locations throughout The District Detroit, with parking within a ten-minute walk of the arena.
- The Trinity Health Garage, UWM Garage and Temple West Garage offer the closest accessible parking.
- Parking is first come, first served, and rates and availability vary with what else is on in The District.
- Parking opens three hours before events and closes two hours after, unless otherwise posted.
- There are no in/out privileges and no overnight parking, and all locations are credit card only.
- Olympia Parking can be reached on 313-725-3848 or at parkdistrictdetroit@olydev.com.
Weather
Little Caesars 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 61°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 20°F. April is the wettest month at 2.8 inches and January the driest at 1.4 inches.
That January low ranks 6th coldest of the 30 NBA venues, and April here ranks 26th wettest.
October
2.3 inchesDecember
1.7 inchesJanuary
1.4 inchesMarch
2.0 inchesApril
2.8 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are prohibited except for religious, dietary, or medical necessity, juice boxes accompanying children, and permitted water.
- A card or a phone wallet
Little Caesars Arena is cashless and accepts Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express throughout the venue.
- A coat for the walk in
January lows average 20°F between the lot and the door at Little Caesars Arena.
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 typically open 90 minutes before Pistons games.
- Pregame
313 Presents, Little Caesars Arena Directions & Parking and A-Z Guide
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Little Caesars Arena venue, A-Z, entry-policy, parking, and mobile-ticket pages reviewed for Detroit Pistons game-day policies.