Paycor Stadium Game Day Guide
Cincinnati Bengals · Cincinnati, OH
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
One clear bag no larger than 12 x 6 x 12 inches, a one-gallon clear freezer bag, or a clutch no larger than 4.5 x 6.5 inches is permitted per person.
Medically necessary items are inspected as an exception; diapers and wipes must be carried in a clear bag because diaper bags are not permitted.
- Bag storage
Paycor Stadium does not hold prohibited items at the gate; they must be returned to a vehicle or discarded.
- Gate opening
General gates open 90 minutes before kickoff; the Fifth Third Southeast Gate offers qualifying cardholders entry 120 minutes before kickoff.
- Mobile tickets
Bengals mobile tickets can be accessed and managed through the official Bengals app.
- Re-entry
Guests who leave may not re-enter; medical emergencies are the only stated exception.
If a medical need may require an exit, register first at the north-end-zone first-aid station near Gate C.
- Prohibited items
Paycor Stadium prohibits alcohol, non-compliant bags, most beverage containers, coolers, tobacco and vaping products, strollers, umbrellas, weapons, drones, fireworks, noisemakers, aerosol cans, and other listed items.
Review the complete official list before leaving home; prohibited items must be returned to a vehicle or discarded.
- First aid
First-aid stations are near Sections 116, 129, 136, 316, and 334.
For a medical emergency, notify any Paycor Stadium team member.
- Nursing and lactation
Dedicated nursing stations are near Sections 114 and 144, and first-aid stations can also provide clean private space with electricity.
Pumping equipment may enter after security screens and tags the bag.
- Family restrooms
Family restrooms are available on the plaza, sidelines, canopy levels, north club, and both club lounges.
Public locations include Sections 102, 104, 118, 132, 134, 148, 150, 224, 306, 314, 337, and 343.
- Tickets for children
Children younger than 2 may enter without a ticket.
- Guest services
Membership Services booths are inside the Fifth Third Southeast Gate and Gate C.
To report a conduct or safety concern during a game, text HELP, the problem, and the location to 69050.
- Service animals
Task-trained service animals are permitted and must be harnessed, leashed, tethered, or otherwise effectively controlled; emotional-support and comfort animals are not allowed.
For animal relief, ask a gate manager for permission before exiting so re-entry can be arranged.
- Smoking and vaping
Paycor Stadium is smoke-free, vape-free, and marijuana-free, with no designated smoking areas inside the stadium.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Paycor Stadium, hour by hour.
Lots Open for Tailgating
Official lots and The Banks parking areas open for tailgating. Early arrivals set up along the riverfront.
The Banks Comes Alive
Bars and restaurants along The Banks fill up. Longworth Hall tailgating peaks. Metts on the grill, Rhinegeist in the cooler.
Gates Open
Stadium gates open. Head in early to explore the concourse, grab a Skyline Three-Way, and watch warmups from the lower bowl.
Player Warmups
Players take the field for stretching and warmups. Great photo opportunities from the end zone seats.
Find Your Seats
Grab your goetta sandwich and settle in. The pregame hype video plays on the jumbotron.
Game Time
WHO DEY! The crowd erupts as the Bengals take the field. 65,000 fans chanting in unison creates an electric atmosphere despite the smaller capacity.
Exit Strategy
Walk back to The Banks for post-game food and drinks. The riverfront area stays lively well after the final whistle. Most downtown hotels are an easy walk.
Tips & Fan Reports
Check out the official tailgating party in Lot E along the river in front of the stadium before the game. Bengal Jim throws a good party there every home game.
They are doing color rush stripe-the-jungle games so make sure you are wearing the correct color for your section. Skyline booths are in the stadium this year so grab a coney. The souvenir popcorn buckets are really nice too.
Visit The Banks entertainment district before the game for pre-game food, drinks, and atmosphere.
Try the Skyline chili Three-Way at the stadium. Love it or hate it, you have to try Cincinnati chili at least once.
Parking in the lots along Pete Rose Way fills up early. The garage on 3rd Street is a reliable backup and only 10 min walk.
Hit The Banks entertainment district on the riverfront before the game. Tons of bars and restaurants within a 5-minute walk of the stadium.
Dress in layers, Cincinnati's river valley location creates variable weather, especially in fall.
Grilling means a surface lot. Open flame is prohibited in every garage structure at Paycor, with no exception for a small grill.
Surface lots open four hours before kickoff, the practical start of the day.
An evening kickoff has a hard midnight stop on tailgating, whatever time the game finishes.
Before the Game
Tailgating is permitted across every Bengals parking area around Paycor Stadium, with one line drawn firmly: open flames are allowed in the surface lots only and are strictly prohibited in any garage structure. The surface lots (1U, A, B, D, E, Hilltop, Hilltop North and Longworth Hall) open four hours before kickoff. Everything closes two hours after the event ends, and for an evening game tailgating has to stop by midnight regardless. One thing to plan around this season: Lot 1 and Lot A are running at reduced capacity for the duration of an infrastructure project.
Where to Tailgate
The surface lots: 1U, A, B, D, E, Hilltop, Hilltop North, Longworth Hall
The lots that open four hours before kickoff, and the only ground where open-flame cooking is permitted. If you intend to grill, one of these is the answer.
Known for Open 4 hours before kickoff · Open flame permitted · Where grilling happens
The parking garages
Tailgating is permitted in the garage structures but open flames are strictly prohibited in any of them, so a covered space means no grill.
Known for No open flame · Covered
Lot 1 and Lot A, reduced this season
Both lots are carrying capacity reductions on Bengals gamedays for the duration of an ongoing infrastructure project, so a space that worked last year may not exist this one.
Known for Reduced capacity · Ongoing project
Pregame Rules
What Paycor Stadium allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Tailgating is permitted in all Bengals parking areas surrounding the stadium.
- Open-flame tailgating is permitted in surface parking lots only. Open flames are strictly prohibited in any parking garage structure.
- Surface lots 1U, A, B, D, E, Hilltop, Hilltop North and Longworth Hall open four hours prior to kickoff.
- All Bengals parking closes two hours after the conclusion of the event, and fans and vehicles must exit at closing time.
- For evening events, tailgating activities must conclude no later than midnight.
- For 2026 and for the duration of the project, Lot 1 and Lot A have reduced capacity on Bengals gamedays.
Weather
Paycor Stadium is open air, so these are the conditions you sit in.
Across the NFL season the warmest month is September, with an average high of 80°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 24°F. December is the wettest month at 3.3 inches and November the driest at 2.9 inches.
That January low ranks 11th coldest of the 32 NFL venues, and December here ranks 23rd wettest.
September
3.1 inchesOctober
3.0 inchesNovember
2.9 inchesDecember
3.3 inchesJanuary
2.9 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food is prohibited except for medical or dietary needs; unopened bottled water is permitted.
- A card or a phone wallet
Paycor Stadium is cashless and accepts credit cards, debit cards, and mobile payments for purchases.
- Layers, gloves and a hat
January lows average 24°F, and the seats are open to it.
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat
September highs average 80°F at Paycor Stadium, with no roof over the seats.
- A poncho, not an umbrella
Umbrellas are on Paycor Stadium's prohibited list, and December averages 3.3 inches of rain.
Tailgate Gear
Lots open four hours before kickoff.
- A grill, and a surface-lot space to use it in. Open flame is banned in every garage
- A pack-down plan for two hours after the game, when all Bengals parking closes
- An earlier finish for an evening game: tailgating stops at midnight at the latest
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 gates open 90 minutes before kickoff; the Fifth Third Southeast Gate offers qualifying cardholders entry 120 minutes before kickoff.
- Pregame
Cincinnati Bengals official site: Tailgating at Paycor Stadium, Parking and Directions, and the 2026 parking update
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Cincinnati Bengals fan guide plus dedicated Paycor Stadium bag-policy and cashless-payment pages reviewed for visitor policies.