Quick answers
What time do the Vanderbilt lots open?
Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 72B, 72C and 298A open at 7 a.m. for kickoffs from 11 a.m. to noon, and at 8 a.m. for later kickoffs. Setup can't start until the lots open, and there's no overnight parking.
Can you grill at Vanderbilt tailgates?
Yes, with rules. No cooking in garages, under tents or within 25 feet of a campus building, propane tanks up to 20 lbs, and charcoal grills need a cover. Vanderbilt has no coal bins, so you take your ashes with you.
Can you drink at Vanderbilt tailgates?
Vanderbilt's 2026 game-day guide doesn't post a lot alcohol rule, but kegs are prohibited. Drinking under 21 is illegal, and outside alcohol isn't allowed into any athletic facility.
Do you need a ticket to tailgate at Vanderbilt?
You need a parking pass for every space you use, and the game-day lots are pass only. Vandyville and the Max Nance Kids' Zone are free, and the Kids' Zone doesn't need a game ticket.
How do you buy parking at Vanderbilt?
Season lots are for season ticket holders. Single-game parking is the 25th Ave. Garage, sold in advance or at the gate, the West Garage, drive-up only, or a PMC-managed lot. Everything is cashless, and garages don't allow tailgating.
The game-day timeline
- FriVanderbilt Place between 28th and 29th Ave closes
- 7 hrs beforeNatchez Trace closes to cars from Children's Way to Kensington Place
- 7 or 8 AMGame-day lots open, by kickoff time
- 4 hrs beforeVandyville tailgating opens; Kensington Place closes
- 3 hrs beforeVandyville activities and the Kids' Zone open
- About 2.5 hrs beforeStar Walk up Natchez Trace
- 2 hrs beforeGates open; live music at Commodore Court
- KickoffVandyville entertainment ends
- After the gameLots close 1 hr after, or right away for 4 p.m. or later kickoffs
Where to park
Vanderbilt's lots are season passes, and the garages are the single-game play. You can't tailgate in a garage.
- Season lots
- Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 72B, 72C and 298A, for season ticket holders. Digital passes, scanned at entry. No re-entry or drop-offs.
- Single game
- The 25th Ave. Garage (in advance or drive-up) and the West Garage (drive-up only). PMC also runs game-day lots.
- Payment
- Cashless at the stadium and the garages.
- RVs and trailers
- Not allowed in any Vanderbilt lot or garage. Alternatives: the PMC lot at 2900 West End Ave. or Harris-Hillman School, which opens 3 hours before and bans alcohol.
- Accessible
- Drive-up ADA spaces in both garages. ADA shuttles run from when gates open to the end of the 1st quarter, and from the 3rd quarter to 30 minutes after.
- Rideshare
- West: 30th Ave. S between West End Ave. and Vanderbilt Place. East: 1415 25th Ave. S.
Lots close 1 hour after the game, or immediately after for 4 p.m. and later kickoffs. Pack up during the 4th quarter if you can.
Jess Neely Drive is permanently closed to cars, and Natchez Trace closes 7 hours before kickoff.
No car? Use the rideshare zones on 30th Ave. S (west) or at 1415 25th Ave. S (east). There's no tailgating in the garages, so garage parkers walk over to Vandyville.
The rules
Rules last verified Oct 14, 2026 against vucommodores.com and vanderbilt.edu.
Vanderbilt posts a lot of rules for a small footprint. These are the ones that catch people.
- Your space
- Stay in your parking space, no more than 5 feet past the lane line. One pass for every space, and no saving spaces.
- Grills
- Not in garages, under tents or within 25 feet of a building. Propane tanks up to 20 lbs; charcoal grills need a cover.
- Ashes
- Vanderbilt has no coal bins. Coals and ashes can't go in VU trash cans or on the ground, so pack them out.
- Tents
- 10 x 10 feet max, on weights, no stakes, no corporate logos. Take it down fully before you head into the stadium.
- Generators
- Allowed in your tailgate area, not in garages, around 60 dB or quieter. Electric preferred.
- Not allowed
- Kegs, trailers of any kind, fire pits, golf carts and scooters, drones, smoking and vaping, and live bands or DJs.
- When it ends
- Break down by the end of the day. Lots close 1 hour after the game, or right after for 4 p.m. and later kickoffs.
- Bags at the gate
- Clear, up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches, or a 1-gallon bag, plus a clutch up to 4.5 x 6.5 inches. Clear backpacks too.
- Gates open
- 2 hours before kickoff. No re-entry.
Before you go
Vanderbilt football game day guide (2026)Vandyville2026 season-long parking map2026 single-game parking mapOfficial pages. Rules change; check them the week of the game.
Pack for Nashville
What we'd bring.
-
Ultralight Tall-Back Camp Chair
$45
Ships free
-
Tailgate Trekker 20L Soft Backpack Cooler
$149
Free over $50 (our gear)
Garage parkers walk to Vandyville. 18 cans and ice ride on your back.
More for this lot
-
Monument G22 Tabletop Gas Grill, 2 Burners$199 · Ships free
August and September in Nashville bring real heat, so Vanderbilt adds misting fans above 90 degrees. Late-season night games cool off.
Gear for Vanderbilt fans
In stock now.
Where the party is
Vanderbilt is a compact, rule-heavy tailgate in the middle of Nashville. The lots are tight, the garages are off limits for tailgating, and the free stuff happens in Vandyville, where Natchez Trace meets Vanderbilt Place.
The main event
Vandyville
On Natchez Trace, Jess Neely Drive and Vanderbilt Place: about 90 tailgate spaces, food trucks and Commodore Court, the new music stage. Tailgating opens 4 hours before kickoff, activities 3.
The moment
The Star Walk
About 2.5 hours before kickoff, the team walks up Natchez Trace from near the outdoor track, right through Vandyville, to the new locker room.
The family stop
Max Nance Kids' Zone
In the Blakemore House lot off Vanderbilt Place, from 3 hours before kickoff to kickoff. Free, and no game ticket needed.
What to eat
Grills are allowed in the lots with the rules above, and Vandyville brings in food trucks and local vendors on game day.
Cook thisBBQ pork chiliGetting out
Vanderbilt posts its postgame routes and still tunes them. Your options, best first:
- Use the rideshare zones. 30th Ave. S on the west side or 1415 25th Ave. S on the east. Walk to them.
- Follow the posted exit routes. From Natchez Trace there are no right turns onto Blakemore/31st Ave.; turn left or keep south. From the 25th Ave. Garage, southbound traffic can only turn left.
- Pack up early if you're in a lot. For 4 p.m. and later kickoffs, lots close as soon as the game ends.
Skip this
Leave at the final whistle with everyone else. It's a small stadium in a busy city. Expect a wait.
First time here?
- Lots open at 7 a.m. for 11 a.m. to noon kickoffs, 8 a.m. otherwise.
- No tailgating in garages. Park there, tailgate in Vandyville.
- Tent: 10 x 10 feet on weights, down before you go in.
- Take your charcoal ashes home. There are no coal bins.
- Catch the Star Walk on Natchez Trace, about 2.5 hours before kickoff.
- Clear bag only: 12 x 6 x 12 inches or a 1-gallon bag, plus a small clutch.
Visiting? How to join a tailgate
Vandyville is free and open to everyone, so it's the natural place to start. Garage parkers can't tailgate where they park, so walk over, grab food from the vendors and say hello. Bring something to share if you're joining a lot setup.
Free · one page · works offline
Your FirstBank Stadium game-day sheet, by email
One page for the lot: where to park, when it opens, what you can bring.
We don't sell your email.
