Scotiabank Saddledome Game Day Guide
Calgary Flames · Calgary, AB
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Small bags and purses up to 14 x 14 x 6 inches may enter through a yellow small-bag entry.
Diaper bags and medically necessary bags are allowed through a yellow entry and receive a physical bag search. All guests pass through a metal detector unless a medical exemption requires a physical pat-down.
- Bag storage
Guests with bags larger than 14 x 14 x 6 inches should return them to their vehicle when possible.
If no vehicle or offsite storage is available, use the red entry for X-ray screening; the oversized bag is then stored at Guest Services for the event.
- Gate opening
Doors open 90 minutes before puck drop for Calgary Flames games.
The venue recommends arriving early to allow time for screening.
- Mobile tickets
Use the official Flames app to access and scan mobile tickets at the arena gates.
Tickets can also be transferred inside the app.
- Re-entry
Guests may not exit and re-enter Scotiabank Saddledome during sporting or non-sporting events.
- Prohibited items
Prohibited items include backpacks, sports or large bags, computers and tablets, bottles and cans, outside food or drink, coolers, lasers, mechanical noisemakers, fireworks, illegal drugs and alcohol, weapons, helium balloons, and selfie sticks.
Security may deny any other item considered a safety concern, and all guests and belongings are subject to screening.
- First aid
The First Aid Room is on the main concourse at Section 221/222, with medical personnel on staff for every event.
Ask the nearest usher for assistance if someone is injured.
- Family restrooms
Baby-changing stations are available in every restroom on the main concourse.
- Tickets for children
Children who have reached their second birthday need a ticket for Flames games.
Children under age 2 do not need a ticket but must sit on a parent or guardian's lap and may not occupy a separate seat.
- Guest services
Guest Services is on the main concourse at Section 226, just inside the west doors.
It is open from door opening until 30 minutes after the event. During an event, text 'sdome', the issue, and your seat location to 587-327-2207 for help.
- Service animals
Qualified service dogs may accompany guests anywhere the general public is allowed.
Guests with a service animal and no bag are encouraged to use a green express-entry door.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoking and vaping are prohibited throughout the arena, including suites and restaurants, and within 10 metres of every entrance.
There is no designated smoking area, and the no-re-entry rule applies.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Scotiabank Saddledome, hour by hour.
Arrive on the Red Mile
Head to 17th Avenue SE, the Red Mile, where Flames fans in red jerseys pack the bars and restaurants hours before game time.
Pregame pints
The Ship & Anchor and National on 17th are classic pregame spots. The energy builds as the arena crowd approaches.
Walk to the Saddledome
The walk from the Red Mile through Victoria Park takes about 10 minutes. Enter the arena and watch warm-ups.
Find your seat
The Saddledome fills with a sea of red. The energy is palpable, Flames fans are among the loudest in the NHL.
Game time
Three 20-minute periods with two intermissions. The C of Red makes the Saddledome one of the best atmospheres in hockey.
Hit the concourse
Grab poutine or an Alberta beef burger and a Big Rock beer. The Saddledome concourse is tight, lines move but budget extra time.
Back to the Red Mile
Win or lose, the Red Mile bars stay packed after games. The CTrain runs late for post-game service.
Tips & Fan Reports
Stampede Park (home of the Calgary Stampede) surrounds the Saddledome. The grounds are interesting to explore.
The Saddledome's unique saddle-shaped roof is a Calgary landmark. It's one of the oldest arenas in the NHL.
The Saddledome is the oldest arena in the NHL. The concourse is tight. Arrive early to navigate comfortably.
Take the CTrain to Victoria Park/Stampede. It's free from downtown and drops you a 5-minute walk from the arena.
Wear red, the C of Red is a tradition and you'll stand out if you don't.
CTrain is free in the downtown zone. Victoria Park/Stampede station is right at the arena.
There is no bag check of any kind here, so an oversized bag means a trip back to the car. Plan the 14 by 14 by 6 limit before you leave.
Doors open 90 minutes before a Flames game, longer than for most other events here.
Construction on and north of Stampede Park is live: follow the signs rather than the route you remember.
Without a Saddledome permit, the arena's own advice is transit or downtown parking.
Before the Game
Getting to the Saddledome is currently harder than usual: Stampede Park construction plus separate work north of the arena is causing traffic delays and limiting parking, and CSEC strongly encourages fans without a Saddledome parking permit to take transit or park off-site in the downtown core. The Flames partner with SpotHero for discounted parking nearby. Doors open 90 minutes before a Flames or Roughnecks game. Bags under 14 by 14 by 6 inches are permitted but discouraged, and the crucial detail is that the Saddledome provides no facility to check bags, coats or belongings at all. An oversized bag has nowhere to go.
Where to Go Before the Game
Stampede Park, under construction
The grounds the arena sits on. Construction here, and separately north of the Saddledome, is causing traffic delays and limiting parking availability. Follow the detour and wayfinding signs rather than an old route.
Known for Construction ongoing · Delays and reduced parking · Follow wayfinding
Downtown core off-site parking
What CSEC recommends for anyone without a Saddledome parking permit: park in the downtown core and travel in, or use transit instead.
Known for Arena's own recommendation · No permit needed · Transit connections
SpotHero parking around the arena
The Flames partner with SpotHero for discounted parking around the Saddledome, which is the practical way to secure a space while the construction persists.
Known for Discounted · Book ahead · Around the arena
Pregame Rules
What Scotiabank Saddledome allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Stampede Park construction, and separate construction north of the arena, is causing traffic delays and limiting parking availability. Fans should follow detour and wayfinding signs.
- CSEC strongly encourages all fans without a Scotiabank Saddledome parking permit to use public transit, or off-site parking in the downtown core.
- The Calgary Flames are partnered with SpotHero to offer discounted parking around the arena.
- Fans are strongly encouraged not to bring bags. Bags smaller than 14" x 14" x 6" are permitted.
- The Saddledome does not provide an area to check bags, coats or other personal belongings.
- For Flames and Roughnecks games, doors open 90 minutes before puck drop. For other events doors generally open one hour before the start time.
Weather
Scotiabank Saddledome 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 53°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 11°F. April is the wettest month at 0.9 inches and January the driest at 0.3 inches.
That January low ranks 5th coldest of the 32 NHL venues, and April here ranks 30th wettest.
October
0.8 inchesNovember
0.6 inchesJanuary
0.3 inchesMarch
0.5 inchesApril
0.9 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are prohibited unless an approved food-allergy or medical exception applies.
- A card or a phone wallet
Scotiabank Saddledome is cashless at concessions, retail locations, and 50/50 ticket sellers.
- A coat for the walk in
January lows average 11°F between the lot and the door at Scotiabank Saddledome.
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 open 90 minutes before puck drop for Calgary Flames games.
- Pregame
Scotiabank Saddledome official site: Getting Here, Game Day Guide, and the A to Z Guide
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Scotiabank Saddledome A-to-Z and accessibility guides plus Calgary Flames express-entry, app, cashless, and game-day pages reviewed for Flames game-day policies.