Northwest Stadium Tailgating
Washington Commanders · Landover, MD
Tailgating is permitted in every lot at Northwest Stadium except H-Burgundy, and the venue names a favourite: the Red Zone Lot, which opens five hours before kickoff and has wider spaces for larger vehicles. The stadium's definition of tailgating is deliberately broad — tables, chairs, canopies, umbrellas, coolers, barbecues, grills, games, generators and televisions all count — and so is its rule about who may be there. Every occupant of a tailgating vehicle needs a valid ticket or parking pass for that same day, and anyone without a ticket who stays in the lots past the official start time is treated as a trespasser. All flames and grills must be out before you go in, and ash dumpsters sit throughout the lots for the coals.
Tips & Fan Reports
Most people just find a spot and do their own thing. People are cool and will share food from the grill if you walk up. We had Bears fans offering up food at our tailgate so most people are friendly.
Put the grill out before you walk in, and never stow a hot one under the car — the ash dumpsters in the lots are the intended answer.
Aim for the Red Zone Lot if the tailgate is the point — it opens five hours out and has the wider bays.
Everyone in the car needs a ticket or a parking pass for that day. Bringing a friend along just for the lot does not work here.
H-Burgundy is the one lot where you cannot tailgate at all, so check the letter on your pass.
Where to Tailgate
The Red Zone Lot
The stadium's own preferred tailgating lot, opening five hours before kickoff — earlier than the rest — with wider spaces sized for larger vehicles.
Known for Opens 5 hours before kickoff · Wider spaces · Stadium's preferred lot
The general lots at 1600 Ring Road
Tailgating is permitted in every lot at the Landover site except one, so most of the ground around the stadium on Ring Road is available.
Known for Tailgating permitted · 1600 Ring Road, Landover
H-Burgundy
The single exception. Tailgating is permitted in all lots except this one, so a pass here is parking rather than a pitch.
Known for No tailgating · The only excluded lot
The ash dumpsters
Placed throughout the parking lots for coal disposal. Hot grills must not go in or under any vehicle, so the dumpster is the only correct destination for what is left.
Known for Throughout the lots · For hot coals
Rules to Know
What Northwest Stadium allows, and what it does not.
- Tailgating is permitted in all lots except H-Burgundy.
- The Red Zone Lot is the preferred tailgating lot. It opens five hours before kickoff and offers wider spaces for larger vehicles.
- Tailgating covers the use of tables, chairs, canopies, umbrellas, coolers, barbecues, grills, games, generators, televisions and other items for outdoor gatherings before, during or after an event.
- All flames and grills must be extinguished prior to entering the stadium, and hot grills must not be placed in or under any vehicle.
- Ash dumpsters are available throughout the parking lots.
- Trailers, storage units, grills and other tailgating equipment may not occupy open parking spaces, vehicle unloading spaces or crosswalks, or interfere with traffic flow.
- Each occupant of a tailgating vehicle must hold a valid ticket and/or parking pass for a scheduled event on the same calendar day.
- All gatherings must be wrapped up well in advance of kickoff, at which point everyone must enter the stadium or leave the lots. Anyone without a ticket remaining after the official start time is considered a trespasser.
What to Bring
- A bag the gate will accept
Clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bags may be no larger than 12 x 6 x 12 inches; one-gallon clear bags and clutches about 4.5 x 6.5 inches are also permitted.
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are prohibited unless a special dietary exception is approved in advance.
- A card or a phone wallet
Commanders mobile pay works at every stadium concession after a credit card is added to the team app.
- Your tickets on a charged phone
Access Commanders tickets in the team app and present the rotating barcode or a ticket saved to the phone's wallet at the entrance.
- Layers, gloves and a hat
January lows average 28°F, and the seats are open to it.
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat
September highs average 82°F at Northwest Stadium, with no roof over the seats.
- A poncho, not an umbrella
Umbrellas are on Northwest Stadium's prohibited list, and October averages 4.2 inches of rain.
Tailgate Gear
Lots open five hours before kickoff in the Red Zone Lot.
- A grill you can fully extinguish before entering the stadium
- Something heatproof to move coals to the ash dumpsters in the lot
- A ticket or parking pass for every person in the vehicle, for that same day
- A setup that occupies no open space, unloading bay or crosswalk
Washington Commanders Tailgate Gear
Canopies, grills, coolers, and official Washington Commanders gear for the ultimate tailgate.
Shop on AmazonAffiliate link — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It never affects our prices or rankings. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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.
- Pregame
Northwest Stadium official site, Tailgating Policy & Information, and the Washington Commanders tailgating policy page
- Venue policies
Current Commanders and Northwest Stadium A-Z, accessibility, entry, parking, mobile-ticketing, and mobile-pay guidance reviewed for all structured venue-policy topics.
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals