Capital One Arena Game Day Guide
Washington Capitals · Washington, DC
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Most bags are prohibited; wallet-size clutches up to 4 x 6 inches and medical or parenting bags up to 14 x 14 x 6 inches are permitted after screening.
Medical and parenting bags should enter at the Capital One Cardholder Entrance at Sixth and F Streets.
- Bag storage
Capital One Arena does not check or store prohibited bags or other prohibited items.
- Gate opening
Doors generally open one hour before the event start time.
Check the event calendar for the game-specific time.
- Mobile tickets
Capital One Arena uses mobile entry; print-at-home PDFs are not accepted.
Display the live Ticketmaster barcode for scanning; a printed ticket issued directly by the box office is accepted.
- Re-entry
Capitals guests may exit and re-enter through the F Street entrance after the event begins.
- Prohibited items
The arena prohibits weapons, knives, tasers, pepper spray, projectiles, balloons, cans, bottles, coolers, outside food and drink, illegal drugs, lasers, luggage, backpacks, hard-sided bags, tripods, selfie sticks, noisemakers, poles, wrapped gifts, identity-concealing masks, and recording devices.
Event pages may add restrictions; review the current official list before leaving home.
- First aid
First Aid stations with on-site medical professionals are at Sections 109 and 409.
For an emergency, notify the nearest arena staff member.
- Nursing and lactation
Two Mamava lactation pods are at the F Street elevator landings across from Sections 200 and 400.
The pod on the 200 Level is ADA accessible.
- Family restrooms
Family restrooms are across from Sections 113, 214, and 432.
Baby-changing stations are available in all men's, women's, and family restrooms.
- Tickets for children
Children age 3 and older must have a ticket for Capitals games.
- Guest services
Guest Services is across from Sections 102 and 402.
During events, text `MSE`, a space, the issue, and location to 240-262-4357.
- Service animals
Individually task-trained service dogs and service dogs in training are permitted; comfort animals are not.
The guest is responsible for the animal's care and supervision.
- Smoking and vaping
Capital One Arena is smoke-free and vape-free; smoking is permitted at least 25 feet from the building.
After the game begins, use the F Street entrance for the permitted exit and re-entry process.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Capital One Arena, hour by hour.
Arrive in Penn Quarter
Take the Metro to Gallery Place-Chinatown or walk from your hotel. The neighborhood restaurants and bars are starting to fill.
Pregame on F Street or 7th Street
The bars along F Street NW and 7th Street are packed with Caps fans. Clyde's, Penn Quarter Sports Tavern, and Chinatown restaurants offer great options.
Enter the arena
Doors open 90 minutes before the game. Walk in through the Gallery Place entrance and watch warm-ups.
Find your seat
The arena fills early for big games. The pregame energy builds, the C-A-P-S chant starts before puck drop.
Game time
Three 20-minute periods. When the Caps score, the goal horn blasts and 18,000 fans erupt. The horn is iconic.
Hit the concourse
Grab a DC half-smoke or a crab cake sandwich, both are local staples. The concourse is wide and well-stocked.
Penn Quarter nightlife
Walk out onto F Street and hit the bars. Penn Quarter stays alive after games, the neighborhood is the postgame scene.
Tips & Fan Reports
The Capital One entrance lets you in 15 minutes before the regular doors. Doors are typically one hour before puck drop. Warmups start about 30 minutes before game time.
Take the Metro, Gallery Place-Chinatown station connects directly to the arena. Zero walking required.
The Rock the Red rally towels are a tradition. The sea of red is one of the best visuals in the NHL.
Penn Quarter has incredible dining within walking distance. Eat outside the arena for better food and lower prices.
Penn Quarter and Chinatown restaurants are steps from the arena. Dozens of options at every price point.
The C-A-P-S chant is a tradition, join in. It starts before puck drop and continues throughout the game.
Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro exits directly into the Capital One Arena entrance area.
Doors open an hour before the event, so the hour before that belongs to the neighbourhood.
Expect your car to be searched on the way into the Lexus Garage, so leave time for it.
Take no bag. The arena's limit is a 4 by 6 inch wallet-size clutch, which rules out most things people carry by default.
Before the Game
There is no lot to tailgate in at a Capitals game. Capital One Arena parks its guests in the Lexus Garage and publishes no tailgating policy at all, so the pregame is downtown Washington rather than a parking space. Budget time for two checks rather than one: every vehicle entering the Lexus Garage is searched before it goes in, with visual, bag and metal-detection inspections, and the arena then runs a strict no-bag policy at the doors. Only wallet-size clutches up to 4 by 6 inches get through, with medical and parenting bags up to 14 by 14 by 6 admitted at the corner of 6th and F Street. Doors open about an hour before puck drop.
Where to Go Before the Game
The Lexus Parking Garage
The arena's own garage. Every vehicle parking inside is subject to search before entry, with staff conducting visual, bag and metal-detection inspections for prohibited items.
Known for Vehicle search on entry · Arena-operated · Covered
The 6th and F Street entrance
The corner entrance to use if you are carrying a medical or parenting bag, which are the only bags over wallet size the arena admits.
Known for For medical and parenting bags · Corner of 6th and F
Nearby lots and garages via SpotHero
The arena partners with SpotHero for guaranteed parking at lots and garages within easy walking distance, with the pass emailed straight through.
Known for Walking distance · Guaranteed space · Booked ahead
Pregame Rules
What Capital One Arena allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Capital One Arena operates a strict no bag policy. Bags, backpacks and purses are not permitted inside the arena.
- Wallet-size clutches no larger than 4" x 6", and medical or parenting bags no larger than 14" x 14" x 6", are permitted subject to security screening.
- Guests bringing a medical or parenting bag should use the entrance on the corner of 6th and F Street.
- All vehicles parking within the Lexus Parking Garage are subject to search prior to entry, including visual, bag and metal detection inspections.
- Doors generally open one hour prior to the event start time, though this varies by event.
- The arena publishes no tailgating policy, and its own parking is a garage rather than a surface lot.
Weather
Capital One 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 70°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 28°F. October is the wettest month at 4.2 inches and January the driest at 3.0 inches.
That January low ranks 19th coldest of the 32 NHL venues, and October here ranks 10th wettest.
October
4.2 inchesNovember
3.2 inchesJanuary
3.0 inchesMarch
4.0 inchesApril
3.4 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are prohibited, but each guest may bring one empty plastic water bottle.
- A card or a phone wallet
Concessions, retail, and in-arena vendors are cashless and accept credit cards, debit cards, and smartphone contactless payments.
- A coat for the walk in
January lows average 28°F between the lot and the door at Capital One Arena.
- A rain layer for the walk in
October averages 4.2 inches of rain outside Capital One Arena.
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 event start time.
- Pregame
Capital One Arena official site: Arena Policies, Arena FAQs, and Directions & Parking
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Capital One Arena FAQ, accessibility, box-office, and mobile-entry pages reviewed for Washington Capitals game-day policies.