U.S. Bank Stadium Game Day Guide
Minnesota Vikings · Minneapolis, MN
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
U.S. Bank Stadium permits clear bags up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches, one-gallon clear freezer bags, and clutches up to 4.5 x 6.5 inches.
Medically necessary items are allowed after inspection at a designated gate.
- Bag storage
U.S. Bank Stadium offers a bag-check service during all events for bags that exceed the policy limits.
A rejected bag must be returned to a vehicle, disposed of, or checked; the venue does not publish the current fee or location.
- Gate opening
U.S. Bank Stadium gates open two hours before kickoff for NFL games.
- Mobile tickets
Digital tickets are the only accepted ticket format for Vikings games and can be opened in the Vikings app or a mobile wallet.
Screenshots do not scan; display the rotating barcode or the wallet ticket.
- Re-entry
Guests may not exit and re-enter U.S. Bank Stadium with the same ticket.
In an emergency, speak to a Guest Experience representative or Security supervisor before leaving; any exception must be authorized at the gate.
- Prohibited items
U.S. Bank Stadium prohibits weapons, noncompliant bags, hard-sided containers, outside food and alcohol, large camera equipment, laptops, noisemakers, fireworks, strollers, and other listed items.
Review the current safety page before arrival for the complete list and exceptions.
- First aid
First Aid stations are behind Sections 114, 124, and 316.
Notify a stadium employee or text VIKES and the issue and location to 612-777-8977.
- Nursing and lactation
Mamava lactation suites are near Sections 103, 114, 309, and 332, and a Mothers Room is near Section 122.
The Mothers Room accommodates up to four people and includes a changing table and television.
- Family restrooms
Accessible, gender-neutral family restrooms are available throughout U.S. Bank Stadium.
Baby-changing stations are in all public restrooms, and an adult-changing table is in the family restroom near Section 114.
- Tickets for children
One child under 36 inches tall may enter a Vikings game free with one ticketed adult.
The child receives a wristband at the gate and does not receive an assigned seat.
- Guest services
Guest Services is on the Main Concourse near the Gold and Purple lobbies and on the Upper Concourse near Section 307.
For discreet in-stadium help, text VIKES with the issue and location to 612-777-8977.
- Service animals
Certified service animals and service animals in training are welcome at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Service animals must remain leashed or harnessed; other animals are prohibited.
- Smoking and vaping
U.S. Bank Stadium is entirely smoke-free, including electronic cigarettes and vaporizers.
The ban applies inside the building and outdoors within the security perimeter.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at U.S. Bank Stadium, hour by hour.
The Commons Opens
The Commons park adjacent to U.S. Bank Stadium becomes the epicenter of pregame festivities. Food trucks, live music, and purple-clad fans fill the park for the outdoor pregame experience.
Downtown Bar Scene
Minneapolis bars and restaurants along Hennepin Avenue and in the North Loop fill with Vikings fans. The Warehouse District and Mill District offer dozens of pregame options within walking distance.
Gates Open
U.S. Bank Stadium gates open. Enter early to see the Gjallarhorn up close, explore the concourses, and appreciate the translucent roof's natural light before it fills with 66,655 fans.
Player Warmups
Players take the field for stretching and warmups. The natural light through the ETFE roof panels creates a unique photo opportunity you won't find in any other dome stadium.
Find Your Seats
Grab a Jucy Lucy burger and settle in. The energy builds as the stadium fills with purple and the pregame video plays on the massive end-zone video boards.
SKOL Chant & Game Time
The Gjallarhorn blasts, the SKOL chant erupts, 66,655 fans clapping in unison create one of the most dramatic pregame moments in the NFL. The fixed-roof dome amplifies the sound into a deafening roar.
Exit Strategy
Walk to the Blue Line light rail station directly outside the stadium or head to downtown Minneapolis bars and restaurants. The Mill District and Warehouse District are a short walk for post-game dining and drinks.
Tips & Fan Reports
Arrive no less than 2 hours before kickoff. US Bank Stadium opens 2 hours prior and it's worth wandering around when it's less crowded, especially your first time.
Tailgating is only in certain designated parking lots near the stadium. You need a pass but the scene is good. Worst case just park somewhere else, bring a 12-pack and roam the tailgate lots.
Arrive early for the SKOL chant. It's best experienced from your seat as the entire stadium claps in unison before kickoff.
The Gjallarhorn sounds before kickoff and after every touchdown. It shakes your chest if you are in the lower bowl. Incredible atmosphere.
The Blue Line light rail stops directly at US Bank Stadium. $2 and connects from Mall of America and MSP Airport. Easiest transit in the NFL.
The Blue Line light rail stops directly at the stadium. It's the easiest and most popular way to get to the game.
The SKOL chant before kickoff is the signature moment. The entire stadium claps in unison. Be in your seat early enough to experience it from the start.
If the stadium lots are gone, there are over 20,000 spaces between here and Hennepin Avenue, all inside a twenty-minute walk.
Tailgating carries on for up to three hours after the game (or midnight, whichever lands first) so the lot is a legitimate place to wait out the traffic.
One permit is one space. A group in several cars needs a permit each, and nobody may hold a space for a friend.
Before the Game
Authorised tailgating in the designated lots and ramps at U.S. Bank Stadium is for Minnesota Vikings games only. At every other event it happens solely at the parking operator's discretion. The window depends on the day: five hours before kickoff for weekend games, three for weekday games, and it has to end three hours after the game or at midnight, whichever comes first. A single parking permit buys exactly one spot and saving spaces for others is not allowed. The wider picture is generous, though: more than 20,000 spaces sit between the stadium and Hennepin Avenue, all within a twenty-minute walk, and the lots themselves open six hours before an event.
Where to Tailgate
Designated tailgating lots and ramps
The lots and parking ramps authorised for tailgating, and only for Vikings games. Weekend tailgating opens five hours before kickoff, weekday three, and one permit covers one spot with no saving spaces.
Known for Vikings games only · 5 hours weekend, 3 weekday · One permit, one spot
The corridor to Hennepin Avenue
More than 20,000 parking spaces sit between the stadium and Hennepin Avenue, every one of them within a twenty-minute walk or less. This is the fallback that makes driving downtown workable even without a stadium permit.
Known for 20,000+ spaces · Under 20 minutes on foot
The general parking lots
Lots around the stadium typically open six hours before the start of an event and close two hours after it ends, a wider window than the tailgating authorisation itself, which is worth separating in your head.
Known for Open 6 hours before · Close 2 hours after
Pregame Rules
What U.S. Bank Stadium allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Authorised tailgating in designated parking lots and ramps is specific to Minnesota Vikings games only. Tailgating at all other U.S. Bank Stadium events is authorised only by the parking lot operator.
- Tailgating for weekend games opens five hours prior to kick-off. Tailgating for weekday games opens three hours prior to kick-off, subject to change.
- Tailgating must end three hours after the game, or midnight, whichever comes first.
- A single parking permit grants access to one parking spot, and saving spots for other motorists is not permitted.
- Parking lots typically open six hours prior to the start of an event and close two hours after its conclusion.
Weather
U.S. Bank Stadium 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 72°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 8°F. September is the wettest month at 3.4 inches and January the driest at 0.9 inches.
That January low ranks 1st coldest of the 32 NFL venues, and September here ranks 20th wettest.
September
3.4 inchesOctober
3.0 inchesNovember
1.7 inchesDecember
1.3 inchesJanuary
0.9 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are prohibited except for medical needs and the stadium's water-bottle allowance.
- A card or a phone wallet
U.S. Bank Stadium does not accept cash and takes cards and contactless payments such as Apple Pay.
- A coat for the walk in
January lows average 8°F between the lot and the door at U.S. Bank Stadium.
- A rain layer for the walk in
September averages 3.4 inches of rain outside U.S. Bank Stadium.
Tailgate Gear
Lots open five hours before a weekend kickoff, three before a weekday one.
- A parking permit per vehicle: one permit is one spot, and saving spaces is not allowed
- A setup sized for a single space in a designated lot or ramp
- Something to do after the game: tailgating runs three hours past the final whistle here
- Confirmation that your event is a Vikings game: other events tailgate only if the lot operator says so
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: U.S. Bank Stadium gates open two hours before kickoff for NFL games.
- Pregame
U.S. Bank Stadium official site: Tailgating, and Directions & Parking
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current U.S. Bank Stadium A-Z, safety, accessibility, and concessions pages plus Minnesota Vikings ticketing and parking guidance reviewed for all structured venue-policy topics.