Bank of America Stadium Game Day Guide
Carolina Panthers · Charlotte, NC
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Permitted bags include a clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bag no larger than 12 x 6 x 12 inches and a purse, bag, clutch, or fanny pack no larger than 4.5 x 6.5 inches.
Items are inspected before entry, and guests are encouraged to arrive without a bag.
- Bag storage
Bank of America Stadium does not publish a bag-storage service; prohibited items found at security must be returned to the owner's vehicle or discarded.
- Gate opening
Bank of America Stadium gates normally open two hours before kickoff.
The three main public gates are the North Gate off Graham Street, the Blue Cross NC East Gate off Mint Street, and the South Gate off Morehead Street.
- Mobile tickets
Entry uses mobile tickets in the Panthers app or through Ticketmaster.
Complete account verification and add tickets to a mobile wallet before game day to avoid gate delays.
- Re-entry
A Panthers ticket grants one entry to Bank of America Stadium with no right of re-entry after exit.
- Prohibited items
The stadium prohibits weapons, alcohol, outside food and most drinks, noncompliant bags, coolers, strollers, umbrellas, fireworks, noisemakers, lasers, selfie sticks, and other listed items.
Review the complete current list before leaving home because security may deny or confiscate prohibited items.
- First aid
Emergency care stations are opposite Sections 109-110 and 133-134, opposite Suite 310A, and opposite Sections 511-512 and 543-544.
For immediate help, notify event staff or text the issue and location to 704-438-4357.
- Nursing and lactation
Private Atrium Health nursing rooms are on each level of the stadium, in Sections 119, 129, 313, 525, and 548, and the nearest Guest Relations booth provides the key.
Call 704-358-7538 for nursing-room information.
- Family restrooms
Family restrooms have diaper-changing tables, and all stadium restrooms are accessible to guests with disabilities.
Ask the nearest Guest Relations booth for the closest family restroom.
- Tickets for children
Children 12 months and older need a ticket; a child younger than 12 months may enter without a ticket but must share the accompanying adult's seat.
- Guest services
Guest Relations booths are at every entrance gate and beside the 500-level elevator lobbies, with club-level desks outside each elevator lobby.
Guest Relations staff answer questions about the stadium, public transportation, restaurants, and hotels, and can help guests with disabilities.
- Service animals
Service dogs of any breed and miniature ponies may accompany guests with disabilities; emotional-support animals are not recognized as service animals.
North Carolina requires all dogs, service animals included, to be registered and vaccinated, and the stadium does not require service animals to wear a special harness or identifier.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoking, vapor cigarettes, and electronic cigarettes are prohibited throughout Bank of America Stadium, including concourses, seats, suites, and clubs.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Bank of America Stadium, hour by hour.
Tailgate Scene Peaks
The lots around the stadium fill with Carolina BBQ smoke. Eastern-style vinegar and Lexington-style tomato sauces compete for supremacy. Cold Cheerwine and NoDa craft beer flow freely.
Gates Open
Stadium gates open. Head inside early to walk the concourse and visit the Panthers Hall of Honor near the main entrance.
Player Warmups
Players take the field for warmups. The 100-level end zone sections offer close-up views. Look for Sir Purr, the Panthers mascot, entertaining fans around the lower bowl.
Keep Pounding Drum Ceremony
A celebrity or community figure strikes the Keep Pounding drum, the Panthers' most iconic tradition. The stadium erupts as the sound reverberates through Uptown Charlotte.
Game Time
The Keep Pounding chant fills the stadium. Panthers fans bring a passionate, family-friendly energy rooted in Carolina pride.
Exit Strategy
Walk to Uptown restaurants and bars within minutes. The Lynx Blue Line handles the crowd efficiently. Rideshare zones are along Mint and Graham streets.
Tips & Fan Reports
Eat and catch a buzz in the parking lot before going in. It's way cheaper to pregame in the lot and then maintain it inside the stadium.
Get there early and walk around uptown Charlotte before the game. The stadium is right in the middle of the city so there is tons to do and see within walking distance. Not like some stadiums out in the suburbs.
Take the Lynx Blue Line to avoid parking hassles, the Stonewall Station stop is a 5-minute walk to the gates.
Dress in layers for late-season games, Charlotte's fall weather can shift from warm afternoons to cool evenings quickly.
Take the Lynx Blue Line to Stonewall Station. 5 minute walk to Bank of America Stadium and way easier than parking uptown.
The BoA concourse has a great selection of local Charlotte food options. Check the craft beer stands for local NC breweries.
The Keep Pounding drum ceremony before kickoff is the signature Panthers moment. Be in your seat 30 minutes early or you will miss it.
Do not bring charcoal to a stadium-operated lot: it is prohibited there outright, whatever your grill looks like.
There are over 30,000 spaces within a fifteen-minute walk and they are bookable in advance, so arriving without a plan is the avoidable mistake.
The 25-foot and 10-foot clearances are the real limit on open-flame cooking in a full lot; check what you are parked next to before lighting anything.
Before the Game
Charcoal is out at Bank of America Stadium: charcoal grilling is not permitted in the stadium-operated lots at all, and any open-flame cooking device has to sit at least 25 feet from a building or structure and 10 feet from any motor vehicle, with 10 feet of clearance from dry vegetation, combustibles and dumpsters. Lots using tailgating must provide metal containers labelled for coal and ash disposal only. Tailgating policy varies by lot and is prohibited outright for some events, so the lot on your pass decides what you can do. The consolation is supply: more than 30,000 spaces sit within a ten to fifteen minute walk of the stadium, leased match-by-match or seasonally.
Where to Tailgate
Stadium-operated lots
The lots the stadium runs itself, where charcoal grilling is not permitted at all. Open-flame devices need 25 feet of clearance from any building and 10 feet from any vehicle, which in a packed lot is the binding constraint.
Known for No charcoal grilling · 25ft from buildings · 10ft from vehicles
The wider uptown lots
More than 30,000 parking spaces sit within a ten to fifteen minute walk of the stadium, leased by operators on a match-by-match or seasonal basis and bookable in advance through SpotHero.
Known for 30,000+ spaces · 10-15 minute walk · Bookable ahead
The coal and ash containers
Any lot used for parking and tailgating has to provide metal containers clearly labelled "For Coal and Ash Disposal Only". Where charcoal is permitted at all, that is where the remains go.
Known for Metal containers · Clearly labelled · Required in tailgate lots
Pregame Rules
What Bank of America Stadium allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Tailgating policies differ by parking lot, and tailgating is prohibited at the stadium for certain events.
- Charcoal grilling is not permitted in stadium-operated parking lots.
- Open-flame cooking devices must not be operated within 25 feet of any building or structure, or within 10 feet of any motor vehicle.
- A minimum clearance of 10 feet must be maintained between any open-flame cooking device and dry vegetation, combustible materials, or trash dumpsters and receptacles.
- Any parking area used for parking and tailgating must provide metal containers for the safe disposal of coals, cinders or hot ashes, clearly labelled "For Coal and Ash Disposal Only".
- The Fan Code of Conduct is enforced across all stadium parking and tailgate areas, and a violation there may cost you your parking privileges.
- More than 30,000 parking spaces are available within a ten to fifteen minute walk of the stadium, leased match-by-match or seasonally.
Weather
Bank of America 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 83°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 32°F. September is the wettest month at 3.7 inches and October the driest at 3.2 inches.
That January low ranks 19th coldest of the 32 NFL venues, and September here ranks 18th wettest.
September
3.7 inchesOctober
3.2 inchesNovember
3.3 inchesDecember
3.6 inchesJanuary
3.5 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are prohibited except for up to two sealed, unflavored 16.9-ounce water bottles per person.
- A card or a phone wallet
Bank of America Stadium is cashless and accepts credit cards, debit cards, touch-free payments, prepaid debit cards, and Panthers app payments.
- Layers, gloves and a hat
January lows average 32°F, and the seats are open to it.
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat
September highs average 83°F at Bank of America Stadium, with no roof over the seats.
- A poncho, not an umbrella
Umbrellas are on Bank of America Stadium's prohibited list, and September averages 3.7 inches of rain.
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: Bank of America Stadium gates normally open two hours before kickoff.
- Pregame
Bank of America Stadium official site: Traffic & Parking and Fan Guide, with the Carolina Panthers traffic and parking page
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Bank of America Stadium Fan Guide and Stadium Accessibility pages read October 17, 2026, replacing three retired panthers.com stadium pages; child-ticket admission from the Fan Guide on September 29, 2026; mobile tickets, payments and re-entry from the Panthers' own pages on August 29, 2026.