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What time do gates open at the Superdome?

Gates open about two hours before kickoff at most NFL stadiums.

Ready Time can tell you when to leave for your game →

So when do you leave?

Your leave-by time is the first travel row. Ready Time can alert you when it comes up. Put in your kickoff time, tap any duration, and the plan recomputes backward.

Kickoff
15 min Final pack & check 10:30 AM
15 min Drive to the stadium 10:45 AM
15 min Park & find your spot 11:00 AM
10 min Walk to the gate 11:15 AM
15 min Gate security 11:25 AM
10 min Walk to your seat 11:40 AM
10 min In your seat for the anthem 11:50 AM
Kickoff 12:00 PM

NFL game day at the Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints. For a concert here, start from the concert night plan instead: doors and a support act, not gates and kickoff.

Get an alert on game day when it’s time to leave for the Superdome.

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Ready Time

You know what you need to do. Ready Time helps you know when to start.

At a glance

Gates open
About two hours before kickoffTypical at most NFL stadiums; check the official site
Bags
Clear bag onlyUp to 12 × 6 × 12 in, or a small clutch
Drive
About 15 min from New OrleansWithout game traffic · real drive
Parking
Park & find your spot
Formerly
Louisiana Superdome, Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Superdome seen from outside, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Photo by George Bannister, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Resized for this page.

Kickoff windows at the Superdome

Kickoff times are national broadcast windows, the same ones every week. Pick yours and every step before it moves.

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Windows are published in Eastern Time. the Superdome is on Central time, an hour behind, so an early-window game does not start at one o'clock here:

Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Sunday late window sometimes at 4:05 instead of 4:25, and late-season Saturdays run their own times. Type those in on the kickoff row.

Getting to the Superdome

Walking in from the Quarter or the CBD is normal and often faster than driving, and the streetcar lines run nearby. Driving means the garages attached to the dome, which are convenient going in and slow coming out.

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In the middle of the city, a walk from the Central Business District and not much further from the French Quarter. Pre-game often happens in a bar rather than a lot; the kickoff deadline does not change.

Jackson Square and the French Quarter in New Orleans, from the air.
Photo by Mark Westguard, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Resized for this page.

Gates, the queue, and what you can carry in

Clear-bag policy at every stadium. Getting it wrong usually means walking back to the car and re-entering the line.

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Check current sizes and door times on the official Superdome site before you go, because the door time moves for a night game or playoff.

Unauthorised tailgating is prohibited in the Superdome's own garages and lots. Walk in from the city centre, or use private lots nearby that allow it. The building is fully enclosed; weather only matters for the walk over.

The Superdome was previously called Louisiana Superdome and later Mercedes-Benz Superdome, so older directions and tickets may still use those names.

Gates, lots and bag rules change; the official site is the live source.

Common questions

How early should I get to the Superdome?

Gates open about two hours before kickoff at most NFL stadiums; that is when the crowd starts arriving, not when you have to. Being through a gate about an hour before kickoff covers screening, the walk to your section, and a stop on the concourse.

When should I leave for the Superdome?

Work backward from kickoff: minutes in your seat beforehand, walk to your section, gate screening, walk from the lot, parking, then the drive (15 minutes in the default plan). That puts leave-by at 10:45 AM for a 12:00 PM kickoff. Change the kickoff time and every row moves.

What time is kickoff at the Superdome?

It depends on the national broadcast window. On this stadium's clock: an early Sunday game kicks off at 12:00 PM, the late Sunday window at 3:25 PM, a night game at 7:15 PM. This example uses the early Sunday window. Thanksgiving, Christmas and some late-season Saturdays run their own times; the kickoff row is editable for those.

How long does the security line take?

The plan allows 15 minutes for a normal walk-through queue. It runs longer in the twenty minutes before kickoff. Arriving fifteen minutes off that peak is usually enough.

What time do the gates open at the Superdome?

Two hours before kickoff is the common NFL practice. It moves for a night game, playoff or special event. Check the official Superdome site for your game.

Can I tailgate at the Superdome?

Not in the lots here. If you are meeting people somewhere else, add that as a step and everything before it moves earlier.

What can I bring in?

Assume a clear bag or no bag. Check the stadium's own page for current sizes. The timing risk is being turned around at the gate and walking back to the car: the walk twice and a second trip through the queue.

Flying in? The airport pages. Taking Amtrak? The station pages. No stadium listed? The tailgate timeline is the same plan without a particular lot.

The countdown to kickoff, on your Lock Screen

Start the plan in the app, and the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island show the time left, with a bar that fills as each step passes.

Glance at it on the walk in without opening the app.

Every step also gets its own alert, and sharing the plan gives whoever is driving the same leave time, with alerts on their phone.

Live Activities are part of Premium, a one-time unlock.

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Ready Time

You know what you need to do. Ready Time helps you know when to start.

Other stadiums

More on being ready on time