Toyota Center Game Day Guide
Houston Rockets · Houston, TX
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Permitted bags cannot exceed 10 x 6 x 2 inches; diaper and medical bags are also allowed after inspection.
For Rockets games, guests carrying a bag must use the Jackson Street entrance, Bell Atrium entrance, or the Skybridge entrance for premium ticketholders.
- Bag storage
Paid Binbox lockers for rejected bags are at the Jackson Street entrance and the Skybridge entrance on Level 3 of the Tundra Garage, starting at $10 per bag.
Lockers accept debit, credit, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, but not cash. They open with arena doors, close 60 minutes after the event, and cannot be accessed during the event because re-entry is prohibited.
- Gate opening
Rockets door times vary by game; check the time on the ticket or call Toyota Center at 713-758-7200 before traveling.
- Mobile tickets
AXS Mobile ID is Toyota Center's exclusive electronic ticket system, and entry barcodes are displayed in the Houston Rockets or AXS app.
A Guest Experience representative scans the app barcode at entry. Call 713-758-7239 for ticket-access help or 1-877-622-7625 for AXS Mobile ID questions.
- Re-entry
Guests who leave Toyota Center cannot re-enter unless they have an unused ticket.
- Prohibited items
Prohibited items include alcohol and illegal drugs, outside food or drinks and containers, backpacks and large bags, weapons and knives, fireworks, lasers, laptops, recording devices and GoPros, selfie sticks, noisemakers, confetti, inflatables, luggage, and detachable phone lights.
Baby seats and carriers are also listed as prohibited. Management may reject other unsafe items, and all guests must complete security screening.
- First aid
First Aid stations are across from Section 123 on the Main Concourse and Section 433 on the Upper Concourse.
Certified EMS personnel attend every arena event. Ask any Toyota Center team member for help.
- Nursing and lactation
Toyota Center has an accessible Mamava pod on the East Main Concourse and another on the Upper Concourse beside Children's Memorial Hermann Sky Court.
The Mamava app provides additional access instructions.
- Family restrooms
Family restrooms are next to public restrooms throughout the Main and Upper Concourses.
Baby-changing facilities are available in every public restroom.
- Tickets for children
Children shorter than 36 inches generally do not need a ticket if they sit on an adult's lap.
Some events use a different rule, so call 713-758-7200 or check the game information before attending.
- Guest services
Guest Experience booths are across from Sections 112 and 125 on the Main Concourse and Section 434 on the Upper Concourse.
For assistance during an event, text TCHELP to 59925. Email guestservices@rocketball.com or call 713-758-7230 for advance questions.
- Service animals
Service animals accompanying guests with disabilities are welcome and must remain leashed or harnessed at all times.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoking, vaping, and e-cigarettes are prohibited inside Toyota Center, including premium seating, dining, and entertainment areas.
A designated outdoor smoking area remains accessible from the Main Concourse through doors near Section 117.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Toyota Center, hour by hour.
Arrive downtown
Park or take METRORail. Explore the EaDo bars and restaurants or walk through Discovery Green park.
Pregame dining
Eat at a downtown or EaDo restaurant, 8th Wonder Brewery, Lucky's Pub, or the Marriott Marquis rooftop.
Doors open
Enter the arena to watch warm-ups. The Rockets team store is near the main entrance.
Find your seat
Settle in. The arena has good sightlines at every level.
Game time
Houston fans are passionate, especially for divisional matchups. Total game time is about 2-2.5 hours.
Halftime break
Hit the concourse, the brisket and Tex-Mex options are excellent.
Post-game scene
EaDo bars stay open late. 8th Wonder Brewery is a popular post-game destination.
Tips & Fan Reports
METRORail is only $1.25 - one of the cheapest transit fares to any NBA arena in the country.
Discovery Green park (across the street) is a nice pregame walk, especially during the holidays when it has an ice rink.
METRORail is only $1.25 and stops right at the arena. Best transit deal in the NBA.
GreenStreet at the Convention Center is a 5-min walk with restaurants that are less crowded than arena concessions.
Discovery Green park is a beautiful pre-game walk, especially on cool evenings.
Houston heat is real, hydrate and dress light for early-season games.
Do not drive to the garage on a Rockets night without a pass. It is closed to non-passholders, and the 10,000 nearby spaces are the actual plan.
If you are carrying a bag you must use a designated bag entrance rather than the nearest door.
Your pass colour decides your entrance: Green off Jackson, White and Red off Leeland.
Bag check shuts 60 minutes after the event, so collect promptly.
Before the Game
The most important fact about parking at Toyota Center is a negative one: the arena's own 2,500-space Tundra Garage is not available to non-passholders on Rockets game days at all. Around 10,000 spaces sit within a few blocks instead. The garage, when it is open to you, takes three pass-coloured entrances off Jackson and Leeland Streets and opens 90 minutes before the event's door time. Bags cap at 10 by 6 by 2 inches plus diaper and medical bags, all searched, and fans carrying bags must use designated bag entrances. Binbox lockers at the Jackson Street entrance and the Level 3 skybridge take an oversized bag from $10, non-refundable.
Where to Go Before the Game
The Tundra Garage: passholders only on game days
A 2,500-space, seven-storey cashless garage with a private sky bridge entrance for premium guests. It is not available to non-passholders on Rockets game days, which is the thing to know before driving in.
Known for 2,500 spaces · Passholders only on game days · Sky bridge for premium
The three garage entrances on Jackson and Leeland Streets
Green Pass enters on Jackson Street between Bell and Leeland (1515 Jackson Street for GPS); White Pass and Red Pass both enter on Leeland Street between Jackson and La Branch (1515 Leeland Street).
Known for Green on Jackson · White and Red on Leeland · GPS addresses published
The 10,000 downtown spaces within a few blocks
The practical answer on a Rockets night: roughly 10,000 parking spaces sit within a few blocks of the arena, since the garage itself is closed to non-passholders.
Known for ~10,000 spaces · A few blocks out · The game-day option
Binbox lockers at Jackson Street and the Level 3 skybridge
Two locker locations for bags that will not be admitted: at the Jackson Street entrance and at the skybridge entrance on Level 3 of the Tundra Garage. Pricing starts at $10 per bag, non-refundable.
Known for From $10 · Two locations · Non-refundable
Pregame Rules
What Toyota Center allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Bags no larger than 10" x 6" x 2", plus diaper bags and medical bags, are permitted. All bags are subject to search on entry.
- For Rockets games, fans carrying bags must use the designated bag entrances for screening.
- Binbox lockers are located at the Jackson Street entrance and the skybridge entrance on Level 3 of the Tundra Garage. Pricing starts at $10 per checked bag and is non-refundable.
- Bag check opens at the same time as arena doors and closes 60 minutes after the event.
- The Tundra Garage is a 2,500-space, seven-storey cashless garage with a private sky bridge entrance for premium guests. It is not available to non-passholders on Houston Rockets game days.
- Garage entrances are: Green Pass on Jackson Street between Bell and Leeland (1515 Jackson Street), White Pass on Leeland Street between Jackson and La Branch (1515 Leeland Street), and Red Pass on Leeland Street between Jackson and La Branch (1515 Leeland Street).
- The Tundra Garage opens for event parking 1.5 hours before each event's scheduled door time.
- Approximately 10,000 parking spaces are located within a few blocks of the arena.
Weather
Toyota 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 82°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 44°F. October is the wettest month at 5.4 inches and March the driest at 3.8 inches.
That January low ranks 23rd coldest of the 30 NBA venues, and October here ranks 4th wettest.
October
5.4 inchesDecember
4.3 inchesJanuary
4.0 inchesMarch
3.8 inchesApril
5.2 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and drinks, including glass, plastic, or metal containers, are prohibited inside Toyota Center.
- A card or a phone wallet
All Toyota Center points of sale are cashless and accept credit cards or contactless payment.
- A layer for the walk in
January evenings average 44°F outside Toyota Center.
- A rain layer for the walk in
October averages 5.4 inches of rain outside Toyota 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
Official venue page / team game day guide
- Pregame
Houston Toyota Center official site: Directions & Parking, Bag Policy, and A-Z Guide
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Toyota Center A-Z, bag, accessibility, and parking guidance reviewed for Houston Rockets policies.