AT&T Stadium Tailgating
Dallas Cowboys · Arlington, TX
Tailgating is permitted at AT&T Stadium, but only in named lots and only inside a measured footprint: 9 feet wide by 12 feet deep, confined to the area directly behind your parking space. Lots 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10 through 15 allow it, with designated grassy perimeter areas; Lot 3, Lot 8, Lot 9 and parts of Lot 5 do not. The unusual part is the back end — tailgating runs from the time lots open until two hours after the game, so the lot is a place to wait out the traffic rather than somewhere you are pushed out of at kickoff. Lots generally open five hours before a Cowboys game and every vehicle needs a valid parking permit.
Tips & Fan Reports
You can tailgate in any lot but Lot 4 has the main Cowboys tailgate scene. Lot 11 also has some great spots - look for the Dallas Cowboys shortbus, that's where the party is.
Lots open about five hours before a Cowboys game and fill first-come, first-served even with a permit, so an early arrival gets a better spot rather than a guaranteed one.
Check your lot number before you buy. A permit for Lot 3, 8 or 9 is parking only — no tent, no cooler, no chairs — and portions of Lot 5 are excluded too.
The two-hour post-game tailgating window is the real advantage here. Staying put is usually faster than joining the exit queue.
Amplified sound systems are prohibited outright, unlike most stadiums which only ask you to keep the volume reasonable.
Where to Tailgate
Tailgating lots — 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10 through 15
The lots where tailgating is permitted, including designated grassy perimeter areas. Each vehicle gets a 9-foot by 12-foot tailgate footprint behind its space, and tents, coolers and chairs are allowed only in these designated tailgating spaces.
Known for Tailgating permitted · 9ft x 12ft per vehicle · Grassy perimeter areas
Non-tailgating lots — 3, 8, 9 and parts of 5
Standard parking lots where tailgating is prohibited. Tents, coolers and chairs are not permitted in these spaces at all, so a permit for one of these buys parking only.
Known for No tailgating · No tents or coolers · Parking only
The post-game window
Unusually, the lots stay open for tailgating up to two hours after Cowboys and college football games, which makes them a place to sit out the Arlington exit traffic rather than somewhere you are cleared from at kickoff.
Known for Two hours post-game · Beat the exit traffic
Rules to Know
What AT&T Stadium allows, and what it does not.
- Tailgating is permitted in Lots 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, and is prohibited in Lot 3, portions of Lot 5, Lot 8 and Lot 9.
- A tailgate may occupy a maximum of 9 feet wide by 12 feet deep, confined to the area adjacent to the end of the designated tailgating vehicle parking space — a maximum of 12 feet from the rear of the parked vehicle.
- Tailgating is permitted from the time the lots open and up to two hours following Dallas Cowboys or college football games.
- Charcoal or gas grills are allowed. Open flame fires of any kind are prohibited.
- Deep fryers and any oil-based cooking or frying are prohibited.
- Tents, coolers, chairs and similar items are permitted only in designated tailgating spaces, not in standard parking spaces.
- Weapons, fireworks and amplified sound systems are prohibited.
- The sale of food, beverage or merchandise is prohibited, as is saving parking or tailgating spaces.
- Each vehicle must have a valid parking permit.
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 one-compartment clutches no larger than 4.5 x 6.5 inches are also permitted.
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food, bottles, cans, thermoses, and beverage containers are prohibited.
- A card or a phone wallet
Food, beverage, parking, and retail transactions at AT&T Stadium are cashless; major cards and mobile pay are accepted.
- Your tickets on a charged phone
All AT&T Stadium tickets are mobile and available through the Dallas Cowboys app; PDFs and screenshots are not accepted.
- Layers, gloves and a hat
January lows average 34°F outside AT&T Stadium; the roof decides what the seats get.
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat
September highs average 88°F outside AT&T Stadium, whatever the roof does.
- A rain layer
October averages 4.8 inches of rain here, outside the roof.
Tailgate Gear
Lots open about five hours before kickoff, and running until two hours after the game.
- A charcoal or gas grill — open flame fires of any kind are banned
- A setup inside 9 feet by 12 feet, no more than 12 feet back from your bumper
- A valid parking permit for one of the tailgating lots, not Lot 3, 8 or 9
- No deep fryer: oil-based cooking is prohibited
- No amplified sound system — these are prohibited outright here
Dallas Cowboys Tailgate Gear
Canopies, grills, coolers, and official Dallas Cowboys gear for the ultimate tailgate.
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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.
- Pregame
AT&T Stadium official site, Plan Your Visit — Parking (tailgating rules and lot list)
- Venue policies
Current AT&T Stadium A-Z, accessibility, parking, and 2026 Cowboys gameday guidance reviewed for all structured venue-policy topics.
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals