Ford Field Game Day Guide
Detroit Lions · Detroit, MI
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Ford Field permits clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bags 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.
Medically necessary items may be admitted after inspection.
- Bag storage
Ford Field does not hold bags or other prohibited items for pickup; they must be returned to a vehicle or discarded.
The venue is not responsible for anything left at a gate.
- Gate opening
Ford Field gates typically open two hours before a Lions kickoff.
Opening time may change by game, so check the current game-day page before travel.
- Mobile tickets
Detroit Lions tickets and parking passes are digital and are accessed through the Lions app or Ticketmaster account.
Screenshots, PDFs, and printed tickets are not valid; add the ticket to a mobile wallet or display the rotating secure barcode.
- Re-entry
Re-entry is not permitted after leaving Ford Field during a Lions home game.
- Prohibited items
Ford Field prohibits noncompliant bags, weapons, outside food and drinks, strollers, infant carriers, large umbrellas, noisemakers, lasers, drones, fireworks, selfie sticks, seat cushions, and other listed items.
Review the official list immediately before the game because screening requirements can change.
- First aid
Ford Field's main-concourse First Aid locations are near Sections 106-107, 113, and 133.
Notify the nearest Guest Services or event employee for urgent medical help.
- Nursing and lactation
Ford Field has nursing rooms near Gate B and on Level 4 of the south-side suites.
The Gate B room is across from Guest Services near Section 133; guests without suite access should ask Gate A Guest Services for access to the Level 4 room.
- Family restrooms
Ford Field has family restrooms, and all of them include wheelchair-accessible facilities.
Ask the nearest Guest Services desk for the closest location.
- Tickets for children
Children age two and younger may enter a Lions game without a ticket if they sit on an adult's lap; guests age three and older need a ticket.
The child may not obstruct other guests' sightlines or enjoyment.
- Guest services
Guest Services desks are at Gates A, B, C, E, and G, plus the Comerica Gridiron Club and Delta Club levels when open.
For discreet game-day help, text the issue and location to 313-513-8398.
- Service animals
Task-trained service animals are permitted when their work is directly related to a guest's accessibility need.
Animals that provide only emotional support or companionship are not permitted.
- Smoking and vaping
Ford Field is smoke-free indoors, including seating, restrooms, clubs, bars, and suites; this includes electronic cigarettes, vaporizers, and tobacco.
During Lions games, designated outdoor smoking areas are at Gate D near Sections 128-129 and Gate E near Section 225.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Ford Field, hour by hour.
Eastern Market Pregame
The Eastern Market district comes alive with Lions fans. Bars and restaurants along Russell Street open early for game-day brunch, Bloody Marys, and pregame energy.
Greektown & Downtown Bars
Greektown restaurants and downtown sports bars fill with Honolulu blue jerseys. Walk Woodward Avenue and soak in the revitalized downtown atmosphere.
Gates Open
Ford Field gates open. Enter early to explore the concourses, grab a coney dog, and find your seats without the rush.
Player Warmups
Players take the field for stretching and warmups. Lower bowl seats offer great views and photo opportunities inside the dome.
Find Your Seats
Settle in with a Detroit-style pizza slice and a Michigan craft beer. The pregame video and light show build energy inside the enclosed stadium.
Game Time
The roar inside Ford Field is amplified by the fixed roof, 65,000 fans chanting 'One Pride' create a wall of sound that rivals any dome in the league.
Exit Strategy
Walk to Greektown for post-game dining or grab a rideshare from the designated zones. Downtown Detroit bars stay open late and the People Mover provides a free loop through the district.
Tips & Fan Reports
Gates open three hours before kickoff. The first hour is Power Hour with discount beer and hot dogs. Go in early so you can wander around without huge crowds - had a blast doing that my first game.
Walk around outside the stadium if it's nice weather - so many people tailgating who are usually pretty generous with food and drinks. That's the real Detroit game day experience.
QLine streetcar on Woodward Avenue is free and drops you right in the downtown stadium district. Connects to Little Caesars Arena too.
Greektown is the best pregame neighborhood, walkable to the stadium with dozens of restaurants and bars.
Greektown is the pregame neighborhood. Walk to Ford Field from the restaurants and bars there. 10 minute walk and the food is way better than inside.
Thanksgiving Day game is a bucket list NFL experience. It sells out fast so buy tickets early. The tradition goes back to 1934.
Accessible parking is in Lot 4 and the Ford Field Parking Deck specifically.
You are directed into a space rather than picking one, so a convoy needs to arrive together to end up together.
If you want to tailgate, do not park adjacent to the stadium: those facilities prohibit it. Lot 5 or an Olympia Development surface lot is the answer.
The adjacent facilities also bar re-entry, so parking close means committing to going straight in.
Before the Game
Tailgating at a Lions game is a question of which lot, and the split is unusually sharp: it is prohibited in the parking facilities adjacent to Ford Field, along with re-entry, but permitted in Lot 5 and across all the Olympia Development surface lots. That makes the walk longer for anyone who wants a tailgate and shorter for anyone who does not. You do not choose your space either: vehicles are directed into them and reserving a space is not allowed, so a group arriving separately will be parked separately.
Where to Tailgate
Lot 5
One of the lots where tailgating is permitted, as marked on Ford Field's own parking maps, rather than the adjacent facilities where it is not.
Known for Tailgating permitted · Marked on the parking map
Olympia Development surface lots
The surface lots around the district north of the stadium, all of which permit tailgating. The broader option once Lot 5 is full, and the reason a Detroit tailgate tends to sit a few blocks out.
Known for All permit tailgating · Surface lots · A few blocks out
The facilities adjacent to Ford Field
The garages and lots immediately beside the stadium, where tailgating is prohibited and so is re-entry: once you leave the facility you are not coming back to the car and returning.
Known for No tailgating · No re-entry · Closest to the gates
Lot 4 and the Ford Field Parking Deck
Where accessible parking sits on game days: Lot 4 and the stadium parking deck. All Ford Field parking facilities are ADA compliant.
Known for Accessible parking · ADA compliant
Pregame Rules
What Ford Field allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Tailgating and re-entry access are prohibited in the parking facilities adjacent to Ford Field.
- Tailgating is allowed in Lot 5 and at all Olympia Development surface lots.
- Vehicles will be directed into spaces, and reserving spaces is not allowed.
- Accessible parking is available on game days in Lot 4 and the Ford Field Parking Deck, and all Ford Field parking facilities are ADA compliant.
- ParkWhiz can be used to compare prices at nearby garages and lots and to reserve a space online.
Weather
Ford Field is indoor, so these are the conditions for the parking lot and the walk in, not the seats.
Across the NFL season the warmest month is September, with an average high of 74°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 20°F. September is the wettest month at 3.1 inches and January the driest at 1.4 inches.
That January low ranks 7th coldest of the 32 NFL venues, and September here ranks 26th wettest.
September
3.1 inchesOctober
2.3 inchesNovember
2.2 inchesDecember
1.7 inchesJanuary
1.4 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food, beverages, and liquids are prohibited at Ford Field.
- A card or a phone wallet
Ford Field uses cashless payment for concessions and supports major cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Lions Loot, and the Lions UMCU debit card.
- A coat for the walk in
January lows average 20°F between the lot and the door at Ford Field.
- A poncho for the walk in, not an umbrella
Umbrellas are on Ford Field's prohibited list, and September averages 3.1 inches of rain.
Tailgate Gear
Lots open with the permitted lots on game day.
- A space in Lot 5 or an Olympia Development surface lot: the adjacent facilities permit no tailgating
- Everything in one load, since you are directed into a space rather than choosing one
- A plan that does not rely on re-entry if you end up parked adjacent to the stadium
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: Ford Field gates typically open two hours before a Lions kickoff.
- Pregame
Ford Field official site, Plan Your Visit: Parking, and the published parking maps
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Ford Field accessibility, stadium, ticketing, parking, concessions, and 2026 Lions event guidance reviewed for every supportable structured venue-policy topic.