Highmark Stadium Game Day Guide
Buffalo Bills · Orchard Park, NY
Know Before You Go
Essential details checked against official venue information.
- Bag policy
Clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bags may be no larger than 12 x 6 x 12 inches; one-gallon clear freezer bags and clutches no larger than 4.5 x 6.5 inches are also permitted.
Applies to: Buffalo Bills games
- All bags are inspected, and seat cushions may be no larger than 15 x 15 inches without armrests, zippers, pockets, flaps, or metal backs.
- Bag storage
Stadium team members cannot secure or hold rejected items; leave unnecessary and prohibited belongings at home or in a vehicle.
Applies to: Buffalo Bills games
- Gate opening
The current Bills game-day guide lists security gates opening three hours before kickoff and ticket entries opening two hours before kickoff; confirm the live schedule for the specific game.
Applies to: Current Buffalo Bills game-day guidance
- Mobile tickets
Bills tickets are managed in the Bills mobile app, and guests should add tickets and parking permits to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet before arrival.
Applies to: Buffalo Bills games
- Transfer each guest their own ticket in advance and arrive with a charged phone because cellular service may be limited.
- Re-entry
General re-entry is prohibited after a guest leaves the stadium; for an emergency, speak with a Guest Experience booth or entry supervisor before exiting.
Applies to: Buffalo Bills games
- Prohibited items
Highmark Stadium prohibits alcohol, beverage containers, weapons, fireworks, drones, tobacco products, umbrellas, strollers, non-compliant bags, noisemakers, laser pointers, laptops, large camera lenses, and other listed items.
Applies to: Buffalo Bills games
- Review the full official list before leaving home; all guests and belongings are subject to security screening.
- Tickets for children
Children younger than 2 do not need a ticket when seated on an adult's lap.
Applies to: Buffalo Bills games
- Children may not sit in aisles or walkways, and the Bills do not offer discounted child tickets.
- Guest services
Guest Experience booths are available across the main and upper concourses, with additional service at premium entries and concierge desks.
Applies to: Buffalo Bills games
- Main-concourse booths are near Sections 105, 114, 133, and 138; upper-concourse booths are near Sections 306, 313, 333, and 340.
- Service animals
Service animals are permitted inside Highmark Stadium; other animals are not.
Applies to: Buffalo Bills games
- Smoking and vaping
Highmark Stadium is smoke-free and has no designated smoking areas inside; re-entry is prohibited.
Applies to: Buffalo Bills games
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Highmark Stadium, hour by hour.
Lots Open for Tailgating
Official and private lots open for tailgating. Arrive early for the best spots. The party starts immediately.
Tailgate Scene Peaks
The lots are in full swing, grills smoking, music blasting, games of cornhole everywhere. This is the Bills Mafia at its finest.
Gates Open
Stadium gates open. Head in early to watch warmups, explore the concourse, and grab food without long lines.
Player Warmups
Players take the field for stretching and warmups. Great opportunity for photos from the lower bowl.
Find Your Seats
Grab your game-day food and settle in. The Shout Song is coming and you'll want to be in your seat for it.
Game Time
The crowd erupts with the 'Shout' song. Join 71,000+ fans in one of the NFL's loudest, most passionate atmospheres.
Exit Strategy
Expect 30-60 minutes to exit the lots. Many fans continue tailgating post-game. Abbott Road clears faster than the main exits.
Tips & Fan Reports
Get there real early like 4 hours before the game. Bring food because the tailgate is the best part. Just stop drinking when you get into the stadium and you should be good to go.
The tailgating at Highmark is legendary. People arrive 5+ hours early. Bring a grill and expect strangers to hand you food and beer. It is the friendliest tailgate in the NFL.
Dress for weather much colder than the forecast, Orchard Park is exposed and windy, especially late season.
Beef on Weck is the local specialty. Way better than a regular roast beef sandwich. The horseradish and the salt-crusted roll make it.
Dress for 15 degrees colder than the forecast says. Orchard Park is exposed and the wind off the fields is brutal in December.
Bring hand warmers and toe warmers for any game after October. You'll need them.
Try the Beef on Weck. It's Buffalo's signature sandwich and the stadium version is solid.
Weather
Highmark 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 70°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 16°F. October is the wettest month at 5.4 inches and December the driest at 4.5 inches.
That January low ranks 3rd coldest of the 32 NFL venues, and October here ranks 7th wettest.
September
4.6 inchesOctober
5.4 inchesNovember
4.8 inchesDecember
4.5 inchesJanuary
4.8 inchesBuffalo Bills Clear Bag Policy
Most venues require a clear bag. Get an approved one before you travel.
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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: The current Bills game-day guide lists security gates opening three hours before kickoff and ticket entries opening two hours before kickoff; confirm the live schedule for the specific game.
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Buffalo Bills pages for new Highmark Stadium accessibility, gate entry, game day, ticket policies, and mobile ticketing reviewed.