Ball Arena Game Day Guide
Colorado Avalanche · Denver, CO
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Only clutches, wristlets, and fanny packs up to 4 x 6 x 1.5 inches are allowed; purses and backpacks are prohibited.
Medical and diaper bags up to 14 x 14 x 6 inches are allowed after X-ray screening at VIP/ADA Door 1 in the Grand or East Atrium.
- Bag storage
Paid Binbox lockers are near the Infinity Sculpture and Spires on the Grand Atrium Plaza, with prices starting at $12 per bag.
Lockers open 30 minutes before general doors, accept cards and mobile payments but not cash, and close one hour after the event. Stored bags cannot be accessed during the game because re-entry is prohibited.
- Gate opening
Doors generally open one hour before the game.
Confirm the game-specific opening time with Guest Relations at 303-405-8548.
- Mobile tickets
All event tickets and parking passes are digital and should be added to a mobile wallet before arrival.
There is no in-person ticket purchasing at Ball Arena; tickets are purchased online and delivered electronically.
- Re-entry
Ball Arena does not permit re-entry after a guest exits.
- Prohibited items
The arena prohibits weapons and self-defense items, outside alcohol, drugs, cans and glass, hard coolers, drones, fireworks, large or pointed umbrellas, lasers, noisemakers, laptops, professional camera equipment, recording gear, selfie sticks, and oversized bags.
Empty non-glass bottles up to 32 ounces, iPads, GoPros, cowbells, and official Altitude Authentics team flags are permitted for Avalanche games. Check the current official list because event restrictions can change.
- First aid
The staffed First Aid Station is on the Lower Level across from Section 132, and paramedics patrol during events.
Ask any arena staff member for medical assistance.
- Nursing and lactation
UCHealth Nursing Suites are near Section 132 and on the Upper Level at Section 348; the Section 132 suite is wheelchair accessible.
The suites include a fold-down table, benches, and outlets. Guests may also nurse at First Aid if both suites are occupied.
- Family restrooms
Accessible all-gender and family restrooms are available in the arena.
Baby-changing stations are installed in all men's, women's, family, and all-gender restrooms.
- Tickets for children
Children age 3 and older need a ticket for Avalanche games; younger children may sit on a ticketed guest's lap.
- Guest services
Guest Relations kiosks are in the Grand Atrium lobby and near Sections 120 and 375.
Call 303-405-8548, email GuestRelations@TeamKSE.com, or text 920-520-2255 with your seat location and issue during an event.
- Service animals
Service animals assisting guests with disabilities are permitted and must remain leashed or harnessed in the guest's seating area.
Visit the Grand Atrium for directions to the animal relief exit and re-entry route; other animals are prohibited.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoking and vaping are prohibited, and there are no smoking areas available during events.
Guests who leave to smoke cannot re-enter; city rules also prohibit smoking within 30 feet of entry doors.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Ball Arena, hour by hour.
LoDo pregame
Start at a brewery on Wynkoop Street or Blake Street. Denver has more craft breweries per capita than almost any city in America.
Walk to the arena
It's about a 15-minute walk from LoDo through Confluence Park to Ball Arena. The mountain views along the way are stunning.
Doors open
Enter Ball Arena and watch warm-ups. The Avs play a speed-focused game, warm-ups showcase their elite skating.
Find your seat
Settle in for the pregame video and introductions. The crowd builds steadily, Denver fans arrive early.
Game time
Three 20-minute periods. The Avs play one of the fastest styles in the NHL. Expect high-energy shifts and speed through the neutral zone.
Hit the concourse
Grab a green chile cheeseburger or a Blue Moon (brewed in Golden, just west of Denver). The concourse has solid food variety.
Back to LoDo
Walk back to LoDo for post-game drinks or catch the light rail from the Pepsi Center station. The bars on Blake Street stay open late.
Tips & Fan Reports
Expect it to take about 20 minutes to get through security, walk the arena, and find your seats. Ball Arena is pretty good at moving people through but plan accordingly for puck drop.
Denver's altitude (5,280 feet) is real. Drink water, go easy on alcohol, and don't be surprised if you're winded on the stairs.
Ball Arena is at 5,280 feet elevation. Hydrate, especially if you've been drinking at altitude.
The Platte River trail connects the arena to downtown - a nice walk on Colorado's 300+ sunny days per year.
The walk from LoDo to the arena is one of the most scenic pregame walks in the NHL. Take Confluence Park.
LoHi neighborhood (10 min walk from Ball Arena) has some of Denver's best restaurants for pregame.
Ball Arena allows clear bags only, 14" x 14" x 6" or smaller.
No open alcohol anywhere in the Toyota lots, which is the sharpest difference from an NFL tailgate.
Lots open three hours before the event and take cards, so there is no cash-at-the-gate step.
This is one of the few arenas where a tailgate is permitted at all, but it is allowed rather than encouraged, and the lots are monitored throughout.
Before the Game
Most NHL arenas permit no tailgating whatsoever. Ball Arena is an exception, though a heavily qualified one: the venue says tailgating is allowed but not encouraged, and then removes most of what a tailgate normally involves. Open alcohol is prohibited in every Toyota parking lot around the building. Charcoal grills and open log fires are prohibited too, so propane under 20 lbs is the only permitted fuel. Nothing is set aside for it. There are no designated tailgating areas, and you may occupy only the spaces on your pass, and the lots are monitored for the duration. Doors on the lots open three hours before puck drop.
Where to Go Before the Game
The Toyota parking lots
The lots surrounding the arena, named for Toyota models: Camry, Tundra, Rav4 and 4Runner. They open three hours before the event, take credit and debit cards, and are monitored throughout. There are no designated tailgating areas within them: you may occupy only the spaces you actually paid for.
Known for Open 3 hours before · Card accepted · Only the spaces you bought
Camry, Tundra, Rav4 and 4Runner lots
The individually named lots around Ball Arena, each with accessible parking options. Which one your pass names decides where you end up, and saving a space in any of them for a friend is not allowed.
Known for Named by model · Accessible options · No saving spaces
The alcohol line
Open consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in every Toyota parking lot around the arena, the rule that most distinguishes this from a stadium tailgate, since the tailgate itself is permitted.
Known for No open alcohol · All lots · Monitored
Pregame Rules
What Ball Arena allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Tailgating is allowed, but not encouraged, outside Ball Arena.
- There are no designated tailgating areas within the Toyota parking lots, and guests may occupy only the number of spaces they have purchased.
- Saving spaces is not allowed, and all Toyota parking lots are monitored at all times during events.
- Open consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in all Toyota parking lots surrounding Ball Arena.
- Open fires using logs, and charcoal grills, are prohibited. Propane tanks must be less than 20 lbs.
- Ball Arena parking lots open three hours prior to the start of the event.
- Credit and debit cards are accepted at all Toyota Ball Arena parking lots for all events.
Weather
Ball Arena is indoor, so these are the conditions for the parking lot and the walk in, not the seats.
Across the NHL season the warmest month is October, with an average high of 68°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 21°F. April is the wettest month at 2.0 inches and January the driest at 0.4 inches.
That January low ranks 11th coldest of the 32 NHL venues, and April here ranks 28th wettest.
October
1.2 inchesNovember
0.8 inchesJanuary
0.4 inchesMarch
1.1 inchesApril
2.0 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are prohibited, but an empty metal or plastic non-glass water bottle up to 32 ounces is allowed.
- A card or a phone wallet
Concessions, suites, and premium locations are primarily cashless and accept debit and credit cards.
- A coat for the walk in
January lows average 21°F between the lot and the door at Ball Arena.
Tailgate Gear
Lots open three hours before the event.
- A propane tank under 20 lbs. Charcoal grills and log fires are both prohibited
- No open alcohol: consumption is prohibited across every Toyota lot
- A setup inside the spaces you actually purchased, since there are no designated tailgate areas
- A card rather than cash for the lot
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: Doors generally open one hour before the game.
- Pregame
Ball Arena official site: Arena Policies & FAQ, and Parking & Directions
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Ball Arena policy, accessibility, bag, prohibited-items, food-and-beverage, and parking pages reviewed for Colorado Avalanche game-day policies.