Benchmark International Arena Game Day Guide
Tampa Bay Lightning · Tampa, FL
Know Before You Go
Essential details checked against official venue information.
- Bag policy
Bags larger than 12 x 12 x 12 inches are prohibited, and bags larger than 4 x 6 x 1.5 inches at hockey games must go through X-ray screening.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- Medical and parenting bags larger than the general limit are permitted but receive additional screening; all entry points may use additional search techniques.
- Gate opening
General doors normally open 60 minutes before puck drop for Lightning games.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- Benchmark International Club Level, Ashley VIP Lounge, and Executive Suite guests may enter 90 minutes before puck drop; times can change without notice.
- Mobile tickets
All tickets for games and events at Benchmark International Arena are mobile only.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster and the ReliaQuest Ticket Office.
- Re-entry
Guests who exit Benchmark International Arena during a hockey game cannot re-enter.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- Prohibited items
Prohibited items include oversized bags, camera and binocular bags, audio or video recorders, lasers, weapons, bottles and cans, sharp objects, sticks, fireworks, pepper spray, outside food and drink, controlled substances, chairs, wrapped gifts, large or pole-mounted signs, noisemakers, and sharp chains or spikes.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- For Lightning games, still cameras with lenses shorter than 6 inches are permitted, but video and audio recording equipment is not.
- First aid
First Aid rooms staffed by Tampa Fire Rescue are across from Sections 112 and 312.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- Notify the nearest arena employee when medical help is needed away from either room.
- Nursing and lactation
A Nursing Mothers Room is located between Sections 129 and 130.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- Family restrooms
Family and ADA restrooms are designated at Sections 208 and 328.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- Family restrooms include baby-changing tables, and baby-changing stations are also available in restrooms on the Promenade, Club, Terrace, and IOA Suite levels.
- Tickets for children
Children younger than 2 are admitted free when they sit on an accompanying adult's lap.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- The age limit can change at a show promoter's request, so confirm event-specific exceptions with Client Services or the ticket office.
- Guest services
Guest Services is on the main concourse across from Section 101, with additional representatives throughout the arena.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- For an emergency contact during an event, call Arena Security at 813-301-6770 and provide the section, row, and seat.
- Service animals
Service animals are permitted inside Benchmark International Arena.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- Smoking and vaping
Cigarettes, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, vaping devices, and pipes are prohibited inside the arena.
Applies to: Tampa Bay Lightning games
- Cigar smoking is permitted only in the designated Cigar Lounge, and the venue states that this exception can change.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Benchmark International Arena, hour by hour.
Walk the Tampa Riverwalk
The 2.6-mile waterfront path connects hotels, restaurants, and parks to the arena. Start at Water Street Tampa or Bayshore.
Pregame in the Channel District
Hattricks Lounge and Sparkman Wharf are the go-to pregame spots. Or take the free TECO Streetcar to Ybor City for cigars and Cuban food.
Doors open
Enter Benchmark International Arena and catch warm-ups. The Tesla coils above the scoreboard (yes, real Tesla coils) are a Lightning signature.
Find your seat
The arena fills with blue-and-white jerseys. Lightning fans have become among the most passionate in the NHL since the Cup runs.
Game time
Three 20-minute periods. The Tesla coils fire after every Lightning goal, an experience unique to Benchmark International Arena.
Grab a Cuban sandwich
Tampa's Cuban sandwich is the signature arena food. Pair it with a Cigar City Jai Alai IPA, brewed locally.
Ybor City or Water Street
Take the free TECO Streetcar to Ybor City for post-game nightlife, or walk Water Street Tampa for waterfront dining.
Tips & Fan Reports
Benchmark International Arena has real Tesla coils that fire after every Lightning goal. It's unique in the NHL.
Ybor City (TECO Streetcar connection) has Tampa's best nightlife for postgame. The streetcar runs late.
The Tampa Riverwalk connects the arena to the Convention Center and Curtis Hixon Park. Walk along the water pregame.
The free TECO Streetcar connects the arena to Ybor City. Use it for pregame and post-game bar-hopping.
Tampa is warm year-round. Shorts and a Lightning jersey are perfectly acceptable at a January hockey game.
Benchmark International Arena's waterfront location means stunning sunset views from the plaza before evening games.
Weather
Benchmark International 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 86°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 53°F. January is the wettest month at 2.6 inches and November the driest at 1.4 inches.
That January low ranks 31st coldest of the 32 NHL venues, and January here ranks 25th wettest.
October
2.3 inchesNovember
1.4 inchesJanuary
2.6 inchesMarch
2.5 inchesApril
2.5 inchesTampa Bay Lightning 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
Gate opening time checked against the venue's own gate-opening policy: General doors normally open 60 minutes before puck drop for Lightning games.
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Benchmark International Arena guide, accessibility, ticketing, parking, and Tampa Bay Lightning dietary pages reviewed for Lightning policies.