Gillette Stadium Tailgating
New England Patriots · Foxborough, MA
Tailgating at Gillette Stadium happens in the general parking lots from the moment they open, which for Patriots games is four hours before kickoff. The fire rule is the one to read twice: open fires are prohibited outright, and any fire has to be contained in a suitable burning device that can be moved in an emergency — so fire pits with open flames are out, and nothing can be left unattended. The prohibitions beyond that are aimed squarely at scale rather than at ordinary fans: no kegs, no outside catering, no professional tailgates, and a long list of trailers, box trucks and branded vehicles that cannot come in at all.
Tips & Fan Reports
Get to the lot at least 4 hours before kickoff. The parking lot opens 4 hours prior. Bring a grill and cook - stadium food is pricey and the tailgate scene is the best part.
Patriot Place keeps its own retail parking during events, but it is not a way around the game lots — ticket holders are directed to general parking regardless.
Bring a grill that sits in a proper burning device and can be picked up and moved. A fire pit with an open flame will not be allowed to run.
No kegs and no outside catering, so a large group tailgate has to be built from ordinary coolers rather than delivered.
The vehicle-size rule is enforced at the space, not the gate: if you cannot fit inside 9 by 18 feet without crowding your neighbours, a general lot is not an option.
Where to Tailgate
General parking lots
The general lots around the stadium, where tailgating happens from the moment they open — four hours before a Patriots kickoff. A vehicle has to fit within a 9 by 18 foot space without impeding people on either side to use a general lot at all.
Known for Open 4 hours before kickoff · 9ft x 18ft per vehicle · Where tailgating is permitted
Patriot Place
The retail and dining complex beside the stadium, which keeps dedicated retail parking during events. Worth knowing that it does not double as game parking: if you are attending the game you still have to use the general lots.
Known for Retail and dining · Dedicated retail parking · Not game parking
Revolution match lots
The same lots on a different clock. For New England Revolution matches the lots open two hours before kickoff, or three for season members, rather than the four hours a Patriots game gets.
Known for 2 hours before kickoff · 3 hours for season members
Rules to Know
What Gillette Stadium allows, and what it does not.
- Tailgating occurs in general parking lots when they open, unless directed otherwise by officials.
- Open fires are prohibited. All fires must be contained within a suitable and appropriate fire burning device and must be movable in the event of an emergency.
- Fire pits with open flames are not allowed.
- Grills and fires cannot be left unattended, and charcoal must be disposed of properly.
- To park in a general space a vehicle must fit in a 9' x 18' parking space without impeding people on either side.
- No kegs, no outside catering and no professional tailgates.
- No 5th wheel or tow-behind trailers, no 18 wheeler or tractor trailer cabs, no box trucks and no branded vehicles.
- Non-stadium portable toilets are prohibited.
- Lots open 4 hours before a Patriots kickoff, 4 hours before concerts and special events, and 2 hours before Revolution matches — 3 hours for season members.
What to Bring
- A bag the gate will accept
Gillette Stadium permits a clear bag no larger than 12 x 12 x 6 inches, a one-gallon clear freezer bag no larger than 11 x 11 inches, or a wristlet or handheld wallet no larger than 6.5 x 4.5 inches.
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are not permitted at Gillette Stadium.
- A card or a phone wallet
Gillette Stadium is cashless and accepts contactless payment inside the venue.
- Your tickets on a charged phone
Tickets to Gillette Stadium events are mobile and can be accessed through the Gillette Stadium app.
- Winter layers, gloves and a hat
January lows average 20°F in the seats at Gillette Stadium.
- A poncho, not an umbrella
Umbrellas are on Gillette Stadium's prohibited list, and October averages 5.0 inches of rain.
Tailgate Gear
Lots open four hours before a Patriots kickoff, two before a Revolution match.
- A grill or fire contained in a proper burning device that can be moved in an emergency
- Something to carry charcoal out in — it has to be disposed of properly, and grills cannot be left unattended
- A vehicle and setup that fit inside a 9 by 18 foot space without crowding either neighbour
- Coolers rather than a keg or catering — both are prohibited
- No tow-behind trailer, box truck or branded vehicle: none of them are admitted to the lots
New England Patriots Tailgate Gear
Canopies, grills, coolers, and official New England Patriots 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
Gillette Stadium official site, Plan Your Visit — Parking (tailgating policy, lot times, prohibited items)
- Venue policies
Current Gillette Stadium A-Z, bag, health and safety, accessibility, and 2026 Patriots parking guidance reviewed for all structured venue-policy topics.
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals