American Airlines Center Game Day Guide
Dallas Stars · Dallas, TX
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Wristlets, wallets, and clutches up to 4.5 x 6.5 inches are allowed at all entrances; larger purses up to 14 x 14 x 6 inches must use a main X-ray entrance.
Backpacks and large totes are prohibited. Medical and diaper bags accompanying a small child must be under 14 x 14 x 6 inches and are inspected.
- Bag storage
American Airlines Center does not provide storage or a check area for oversized bags or luggage.
- Gate opening
Doors typically open 90 minutes before puck drop for Stars games.
Check the individual event page because opening times can change.
- Mobile tickets
All tickets are digital and must display the live Ticketmaster barcode in Account Manager, Apple Wallet, or Google Wallet; screenshots are not accepted.
Guests without a smartphone should bring their confirmation email and photo ID to the box office for assistance; no tickets are held at Will Call.
- Re-entry
Re-entry is not allowed; a Guest Services Supervisor at the door may approve an exception for a medical need.
- Prohibited items
The arena prohibits weapons and knives, outside alcohol or illegal drugs, outside food and drink, aerosols, drones, professional cameras and recording gear, hard containers and flasks, fireworks, lasers, coolers, noisemakers, backpacks, large totes, and other dangerous items.
A prohibited item must be returned to the vehicle or discarded; event-specific restrictions can change, so review the current official list.
- First aid
First Aid stations staffed by certified medical professionals are near Sections 111 and 313.
Contact the nearest arena employee for emergency assistance; AEDs are installed throughout the building.
- Nursing and lactation
A private nursing room is across from the Modelo Golden Lion Bar & Grill on the Plaza Level.
The locking room includes an ottoman, outlet, side table, and privacy curtain.
- Family restrooms
Gender-neutral family restrooms are beside the public restrooms in the corners of every concourse on all levels.
Baby-changing facilities are available in all public restrooms.
- Tickets for children
Children younger than 2 do not need a ticket for Stars games if they sit on an adult's lap and do not occupy a seat.
Children who have reached their second birthday need their own ticket and ticketed seat.
- Guest services
Guest Relations is across from Section 104 on the Plaza Concourse and Section 326 on the Terrace Level.
It opens one hour before each event and remains open until one hour afterward; during those hours call 214-665-4535 or use TellAAC.com for immediate assistance.
- Service animals
Task-trained service dogs and service animals in training are permitted; emotional-support and comfort animals are not.
Service animals must remain leashed or harnessed. The relief area is in Lot F.
- Smoking and vaping
The building is smoke-free and vape-free; smoking is limited to the Patron Tequileria Patio and ULTRA Club Patio.
Guests using those designated patios must be screened again before returning inside.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at American Airlines Center, hour by hour.
Victory Park pregame
Hit the restaurants and bars in Victory Park. The district was built around the arena and has solid pregame options within walking distance.
Explore Deep Ellum (optional)
If you want a more eclectic scene, Deep Ellum is a short rideshare east. Live music, craft cocktails, and BBQ before the game.
Doors open
Enter the AAC and watch warm-ups. The building is modern and well-designed with great concourse flow.
Find your seat
Settle in for the pregame show. Stars fans bring the noise, the building gets loud for big games.
Game time
Three 20-minute periods. The Stars play a structured, physical game. The crowd roars on big hits and goals.
Hit the concourse
Grab a Texas brisket sandwich or a Deep Ellum IPA. The concourse is wide with food options at every level.
Victory Park nightlife
The bars in Victory Park and nearby Uptown stay open late. Or DART back to your hotel from Victory Station.
Tips & Fan Reports
Dallas hockey fans are passionate despite the Sun Belt location. The arena gets loud during Stars playoff runs.
Victory Park around AAC has become a full entertainment district. Arrive 2 hours early to explore.
Texas BBQ is available inside the arena, the brisket sandwich is the move.
Victory Park is walkable and well-lit. The district was designed for arena events.
DART Victory station is right at the arena entrance - $2.50 and avoids all traffic.
Dallas takes hockey seriously. Don't assume it's a football-only town. Stars fans are passionate and knowledgeable.
F-Lot needs no pass at all and takes a card at the gate, which is the simplest option if nothing was booked.
Lots open two hours before the event, not the four or five a stadium would give you.
No in-and-out, so anything you want has to come in with you on the first pass.
There is no tailgate to plan here. Grilling, open flames, food preparation and alcohol are all banned in every parking area, at any time.
Before the Game
Anyone arriving at a Stars game expecting a parking-lot scene should know the rule up front: grilling, open flames, food preparation and alcohol are all prohibited in every American Airlines Center parking area, at any time, which is a complete ban on tailgating however it is phrased. The lots themselves are straightforward. The colour-coded parking and the Commons and Comerica garages open two hours before puck drop and stay open two hours after the final whistle, with no in-and-out and no overnight parking. F-Lot and the 2601 Victory Avenue lot both take a credit card on arrival without a pre-bought pass.
Where to Go Before the Game
The colour-coded lots and garages
Inspiration Lot, Blue, Orange, Gold, Purple, Brown and Green parking, plus the Commons and Comerica garages. Additional lots open two hours before the event and stay open two hours after, with no in-and-out privileges once you are in.
Known for Open 2 hours before · No in-and-out · Colour-coded
The 2601 Victory Avenue lot
A lot on Victory Avenue that opens two hours before events for guests paying by credit card, so no pass has to be arranged in advance.
Known for Opens 2 hours before · Credit card at the gate
F-Lot
The lot that requires no parking pass for entry at all, you pay by credit card on arrival, which makes it the fallback when nothing was booked ahead.
Known for No pass needed · Pay on arrival · Card only
Pregame Rules
What American Airlines Center allows before the game, and what it does not.
- For the safety of all Center patrons and guests, grilling, open flames, food preparation and consumption of alcoholic beverages are not permitted in any parking area at any time.
- Additional parking lots open two hours prior to the start of each event and remain open two hours after the end of each event.
- Overnight parking and in-and-out privileges are not permitted.
- The lot at 2601 Victory Ave. opens two hours prior to events for credit card paying guests.
- F-Lot does not require a parking pass for entry, and can be paid for by credit card on arrival.
Weather
American Airlines 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 80°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 38°F. October is the wettest month at 4.8 inches and January the driest at 2.6 inches.
That January low ranks 26th coldest of the 32 NHL venues, and October here ranks 5th wettest.
October
4.8 inchesNovember
2.9 inchesJanuary
2.6 inchesMarch
3.5 inchesApril
3.1 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages, including bottles, cans, thermoses, and coolers, are prohibited.
- A card or a phone wallet
The arena is cashless at concessions, merchandise, and parking and accepts credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
- A layer for the walk in
January evenings average 38°F outside American Airlines Center.
- A rain layer for the walk in
October averages 4.8 inches of rain outside American Airlines 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: Doors typically open 90 minutes before puck drop for Stars games.
- Pregame
American Airlines Center official site: Parking, and Arena FAQs/policies
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current American Airlines Center FAQ, accessibility, food-and-beverage, ticketing, and app pages reviewed for Dallas Stars game-day policies.