Nationwide Arena Game Day Guide
Columbus Blue Jackets · Columbus, OH
Know Before You Go
Essential details checked against official venue information.
- Bag policy
Bags are generally prohibited; medical bags, diaper bags, and clutches no larger than 8 x 5 x 1 inches are permitted.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- Permitted bags and clutches must use the dedicated entry screening lines and will be X-rayed.
- Bag storage
Rentable Binbox lockers at the McConnell Boulevard and Front Street entrances can store select items, including an oversized bag, after secondary screening.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- Lockers are available only during an event, cannot be reserved, and require the Binbox app. Pricing may change, rentals are nonrefundable, and payment is by debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay only.
- Mobile tickets
Blue Jackets tickets use a mobile barcode in the team app or My Blue Jackets Account for entry at Nationwide Arena.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- Add tickets to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet before arriving. Guests without a smartphone, or whose phone is unavailable, should visit the box office with identification for help.
- Re-entry
Guests who leave Nationwide Arena to smoke are not permitted to re-enter.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- The current arena guide does not publish a broader re-entry rule, so do not exit for smoking expecting to return.
- Prohibited items
Prohibited items include noncompliant bags, hard or soft coolers, outside food and drink, weapons, fireworks, drones, noisemakers, laser pointers, professional cameras, laptops, tablets, pointed or golf umbrellas, strollers, and selfie sticks.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- Small collapsible umbrellas are permitted. Guests may return rejected items to their vehicle or surrender them to Security without return; management may reject other unsafe or inappropriate items.
- First aid
OhioHealth first-aid rooms are outside Section 120 on the main concourse and outside Section 206 on the upper concourse.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- First-aid and paramedic services are provided at every Nationwide Arena event.
- Nursing and lactation
Nursing rooms are at Sections 105/106 on the main concourse and Section 206 on the upper concourse.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- Each room has a glider, changing table, diapers, and bottle warmer. Request access at Guest Services near Section 112 or 208, or ask any staff member.
- Family restrooms
Family and all-gender restrooms are near Sections 101, 110, and 118 on the main concourse and Sections 206, 220, and 228 on the upper concourse.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- Universal changing tables are in the family and all-gender restrooms near Sections 110 and 220; baby-changing tables are available in all restrooms.
- Tickets for children
Children older than age 2 need a ticket for admission to Blue Jackets games.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- Guest services
Guest Services desks are at Section 112 on the main concourse and Section 208 on the upper concourse.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- During an event, lost items can be taken to the desk across from Section 112. Arena Guest Services can be reached at 614-246-2000.
- Service animals
Only service animals as defined by the ADA are permitted inside Nationwide Arena.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
- Guests needing a seating accommodation should contact Guest Services at 614-246-2000 before the event.
- Smoking and vaping
Nationwide Arena has no designated smoking areas inside, and guests who exit to smoke cannot re-enter.
Applies to: Columbus Blue Jackets games
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Nationwide Arena, hour by hour.
Arrive in the Arena District
Park in the nearby garages and explore the Arena District. R Bar and Nationwide Boulevard restaurants start filling with Blue Jackets fans.
Pregame at R Bar
R Bar is the official Blue Jackets bar, packed, loud, and walking distance to the arena entrance. Local craft beer on tap.
Doors open
Enter Nationwide Arena and catch warm-ups. The arena has excellent sightlines from every level.
Find your seat
Settle in and watch the pregame video. The cannon sits behind the goal, you'll hear it before you see it.
Game time
Three 20-minute periods. When the Jackets score, the cannon fires and the building erupts. It's loud, embrace it.
Concourse run
Grab a Buckeye Brat or pierogi plate. The main concourse is wide and easy to navigate.
Arena District nightlife
Walk to the bars and restaurants along Nationwide Boulevard or head north to the Short North for more options.
Tips & Fan Reports
Doors open at 6pm for a 7pm puck drop if you want to watch practice. There are a few restaurants around the arena in the Arena District but expect them to be packed on game nights.
The Arena District is walkable. Park once and everything is accessible on foot.
The Arena District and Short North arts neighborhood (adjacent) have excellent pregame restaurants and craft breweries.
The cannon that fires after Blue Jackets goals is genuinely startling if you're not expecting it.
Nationwide Arena has one of the more affordable NHL experiences. Tickets, food, and parking are all below league average.
R Bar is the pregame spot. Get there early for rivalry games against Pittsburgh.
The cannon is LOUD. If you're near the goal it fires behind, prepare yourself. It's iconic but startling.
Weather
Nationwide 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 66°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 21°F. April is the wettest month at 4.0 inches and November the driest at 3.0 inches.
That January low ranks 11th coldest of the 32 NHL venues, and April here ranks 14th wettest.
October
3.2 inchesNovember
3.0 inchesJanuary
3.1 inchesMarch
3.9 inchesApril
4.0 inchesColumbus Blue Jackets Clear Bag Policy
Most venues require a clear bag. Get an approved one before you travel.
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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.
- Game day timeline
Official venue page / team game day guide
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Nationwide Arena and Columbus Blue Jackets policy, accessibility, parking, and mobile-ticket pages reviewed for Blue Jackets game-day policies.