SAP Center Game Day Guide
San Jose Sharks · San Jose, CA
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Bags up to 20 x 14 x 11 inches are permitted if they fit under the seat; bags larger than 5 x 9 x 2 inches receive X-ray screening.
Clear bags and backpacks are allowed within the size limit, while medical and parenting bags are permitted regardless of size after X-ray screening and tagging.
- Bag storage
SAP Center does not provide a bag check or onsite storage lockers for rejected bags.
- Gate opening
General-public doors open 60 minutes before weekday Sharks games and 75 minutes before Friday afternoon, Saturday, Sunday, and holiday games.
Sharks365 members may enter 15 minutes before the applicable general-public door time.
- Mobile tickets
All SAP Center tickets are digital and available through the Sharks + SAP Center app, Ticketmaster app, or mobile web.
Physical tickets are no longer issued.
- Re-entry
SAP Center generally does not allow re-entry during events.
A guest with an emergency should visit the North or South Information Desk for assistance.
- Prohibited items
Prohibited items include cans, glass bottles, thermos containers, hard-sided coolers, weapons and ammunition, balloons, laser pens, noisemakers, selfie sticks, action cameras, and flowers or gifts for performers.
Weapons cannot be checked; prohibited items must be discarded or returned to a vehicle.
- First aid
The First Aid Office is on the Main Concourse near Section 102.
- Nursing and lactation
A Mamava nursing pod is on the Main Concourse at Section 128.
Get its access code from the nearby Information Desk at Section 101.
- Family restrooms
The family and companion restroom is inside the First Aid Office on the Main Concourse near Section 102.
- Tickets for children
Children age 2 and older need their own ticket for admission.
- Guest services
Information Desks are near Sections 101 and 115 on the Main Concourse.
For in-event help, text 1-940-4ASSIST or 1-940-427-7478 with the issue and seat location.
- Service animals
ADA service animals are permitted, while pets are prohibited.
Contact Guest Services at 408-287-7070 or SAPguestservice@sapcenter.com to confirm seating or request relocation for a service-animal accommodation.
- Smoking and vaping
SAP Center is a non-smoking facility.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at SAP Center, hour by hour.
Arrive at San Pedro Square
San Pedro Square Market, San Jose's food hall, is the pregame dining destination. Walk or take VTA to the arena area.
Pregame at the bars
The pubs around San Pedro Square and on Santa Clara Street fill with teal jerseys. San Pedro Square Market is the hotspot.
Walk to the Shark Tank
The walk from San Pedro Square to SAP Center takes about 10 minutes. Enter and watch warm-ups.
Find your seat
The Shark Tank fills with teal. The crowd noise builds. The famous Shark Head at center ice inflates for player introductions.
Game time
Three 20-minute periods in one of the loudest arenas in hockey. The Shark Fin Chomp during power plays is deafening.
Hit the concourse
Garlic fries, the arena's signature item, and craft beer from Bay Area breweries. The concourse is spacious and well-organized.
San Pedro Square
Walk back to the bars and restaurants. Post-game energy on San Pedro is great after a Sharks win.
Tips & Fan Reports
Wear teal, the Shark Tank is a sea of teal on game nights and you'll want to be part of it.
The Shark Tank atmosphere has dipped during rebuilding years but the core fan base is dedicated and knowledgeable.
San Pedro Square Market (5 min walk) is San Jose's best food hall with local vendors and craft beer.
VTA light rail stops directly at SAP Center, the easiest transit option. No parking needed.
Caltrain from SF or the Peninsula to Diridon Station is also excellent, 5-minute walk to the arena.
Caltrain from San Francisco to Diridon Station takes about 1 hour and drops you 5 min from SAP Center.
A smaller 5 by 9 by 2 bag still gets you through faster, which is the arena's own advice.
This is the most bag-friendly arena on the site by a wide margin: up to 20 by 14 by 11 inches is accommodated, where most arenas cap at a clutch.
Doors open 15 minutes earlier for Sharks 365 members, and everything shifts 15 minutes earlier again at weekends.
On-site parking is $15, among the cheapest anywhere in these four leagues.
Before the Game
SAP Center at 525 W Santa Clara Street has the most relaxed bag policy of any arena researched here: it recommends 5 by 9 by 2 inches to speed entry but will accommodate bags up to 20 by 14 by 11, which no other venue on this site comes close to. On-site parking is $15 a car, with Sharks season ticket holders able to prepay for a guaranteed space in the main ABC Lot. Doors split by day and membership: 75 minutes before a weekday game for Sharks 365 members and 60 for everyone else, rising to 90 and 75 for Friday afternoon, weekend and holiday games.
Where to Go Before the Game
The ABC Lot
The main on-site lot, where Sharks season ticket holders can prepay before the season starts for a guaranteed space.
Known for Main onsite lot · Prepaid for season members · Guaranteed space
The on-site lots at $15
The arena's own parking lots, at $15 per car, cheap by the standards of the venues on this site, with further lots nearby at varying prices and distances.
Known for $15 per car · On site · No pass needed
525 W Santa Clara Street
The arena's address on the edge of downtown San Jose, with further parking at varying prices and distances around it.
Known for Downtown San Jose · Additional lots nearby
Pregame Rules
What SAP Center allows before the game, and what it does not.
- Fans are recommended to bring bags 5" x 9" x 2" or smaller to expedite entry, but the arena accommodates bags up to 20" x 14" x 11".
- On-site parking is $15 per car. Additional parking is available nearby at varying prices and distances.
- San Jose Sharks season ticket holders may purchase prepaid parking before the season starts, guaranteeing a space in the main onsite ABC Lot.
- For weekday Sharks games doors open 75 minutes before the start for Sharks 365 members and 60 minutes before for non-members.
- For Friday afternoon, Saturday, Sunday and holiday games doors open 90 minutes before for Sharks 365 members and 75 minutes before for non-members.
- The arena is at 525 W Santa Clara St, San Jose.
Weather
SAP Center 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 75°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 43°F. January is the wettest month at 3.0 inches and October the driest at 0.8 inches.
That January low ranks 28th coldest of the 32 NHL venues, and January here ranks 23rd wettest.
October
0.8 inchesNovember
1.4 inchesJanuary
3.0 inchesMarch
2.6 inchesApril
1.2 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
For Sharks games, guests may bring reasonable amounts of outside food and non-alcoholic beverages for personal consumption.
- A card or a phone wallet
SAP Center is near-cashless and uses credit cards as its primary payment method.
- A layer for the walk in
January evenings average 43°F outside SAP Center.
- A rain layer for the walk in
January averages 3.0 inches of rain outside SAP Center.
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-public doors open 60 minutes before weekday Sharks games and 75 minutes before Friday afternoon, Saturday, Sunday, and holiday games.
- Pregame
SAP Center official site: Parking, Pricing and Directions, and Arena FAQs
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current SAP Center arena FAQ, bag, accessibility, parking, prohibited-items, mobile-ticketing, and San Jose Sharks concessions pages reviewed for Sharks policies.