Can't miss
- The Boulevard Tents under the trees down Bishop Boulevard, campus at its prettiest. Anyone can walk it; the tent spaces are reserved, so find someone with one to sit down.
- Dress the part SMU's 2025 anniversary story says fans arrive in sundresses, polos and boots, and at the first home game of the season most fans wear all white.
- Peruna SMU's mascot is a black Shetland pony, and he runs the field after Mustang scores.
Quick answers
When does the Boulevard open at SMU?
On SMU's posted 2026 gameday timeline, the lots open about 5 hours before kickoff and the Boulevard about 4. The Boulevard closes to all cars 2.5 hours before kickoff, and SMU asks space holders to start wrapping up 30 minutes before kickoff.
Can you grill on the Boulevard?
Yes. Electric and propane or butane grills are fine in all tailgating areas, and charcoal is allowed only on the Boulevard, with red bins for coals. Fire extinguishers are required, there's no grilling in garages, and grilling stops 30 minutes before kickoff.
Can you drink at SMU tailgates?
Boulevard holders and guests 21 and over can drink in the designated tailgate areas. Bring your own liquor, beer or wine and serve it in paper or plastic cups. Glass bottles, kegs and open containers are out, and alcohol can't be sold on campus.
Do you need a ticket to tailgate at SMU?
You need a Boulevard spot, and every spot is pre-purchased and assigned by SMU Athletics. Once parking staff are in place, only Boulevard and vendor passes get on. The stadium takes a ticket for everyone age 3 and up.
How do you buy a Boulevard spot or parking?
Request a Boulevard spot through SMU Athletics for the season or a single game. Single-game orders are due by Tuesday afternoon for a Saturday game. Game-day parking passes are sold through smumustangs.com, and campus parking is in the garages and general lots.
The game-day timeline
- About 5 hrs beforeAll lots open for parking
- About 4 hrs beforeThe Boulevard opens. Anyone can stroll it; the tent spots are pre-sold
- 3 hrs beforeArmstrong Fieldhouse fan zone and the ticket office open
- 2.5 hrs beforeThe Boulevard closes to all vehicles
- About 2 hrs beforeMustang Walk at the south end of the Boulevard
- 90 min beforeFord Stadium gates and the East Plaza fan zone open
- 30 min beforeGrilling stops and tailgates wrap up
- About 30 min after kickoffThe Boulevard reopens to cars
Where to park
Boulevard spots come with assigned parking. Everyone else buys game-day parking in a garage or general lot.
- Boulevard Main
- Tailgate spot with 1 adjacent parking space.
- Boulevard NE / E / W, Dallas Hall
- Tailgate spot with 1 remote space in the Binkley Parking Center.
- General lots
- East Campus, Energy Square, the Q, R and U lots, N lot (game day only), and the Moody and Hillcrest garages.
- Shuttle
- A game-day shuttle loops Energy Square Garage, SMU Blvd at the US-75 frontage road, and Binkley Ave at Airline.
- RV
- No RV parking on campus on game days. Trailers stay in the space next to your spot, never on the grass.
- Accessible
- ADA spaces in each lot, ADA drop-off at Gate 2, and golf-cart help from a parking attendant or SMU at (214) 768-1111.
Highland Park and University Park have resident-only parking near campus, and cars without permits can be cited. SMU says to park only in its game-day areas.
Cars left in some campus lots after 11 p.m. the night before a game get towed. The parking map marks those areas.
No car? The 2026 parking map marks a rideshare drop-off and pick-up on the west side of campus. Personal golf carts aren't allowed anywhere on campus.
The rules
Rules last verified Oct 29, 2026 against smumustangs.com, smu.edu (Aug. 29, 2025 story on the Boulevard) and CBS Texas (2025).
SMU publishes detailed Boulevard rules. These are the ones that matter on the day.
- Your spot
- Pre-purchased and assigned by SMU Athletics, no exceptions. Gear stays inside your area.
- Grills
- Electric, propane and butane in all tailgating areas. Charcoal on the Boulevard only. Extinguisher required. None in garages.
- Alcohol
- 21 and over, bring your own, paper or plastic cups. No glass bottles, kegs or open containers.
- Tents
- No stakes, fire-retardant, red, blue or white. Big or sided tents need a University Park permit.
- Not allowed
- Personal golf carts, bounce houses and other recreational inflatables. Trailers on the grass.
- When it ends
- Grilling stops 30 minutes before kickoff. You can return after the game, but there's no organized postgame Boulevarding.
- Bags at the gate
- Clear, up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches, or a 1-gallon freezer bag, plus a hand-size clutch.
- Gates open
- 90 minutes before kickoff. No re-entry.
Before you go
The Boulevard (SMU Athletics)SMU football gamedaySMU Athletics parkingGerald J. Ford Stadium policies2026 football parking map (PDF)Official pages. Rules change; check them the week of the game.
Pack for Dallas
What we'd bring.
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Gear for SMU fans
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Where the party is
The Boulevard is SMU's whole tailgate: rows of tents along Bishop Boulevard and around Dallas Hall, sold spot by spot, with the team walking down it to the stadium.
The main event
The Boulevard
Spots 1 through 114 line both sides of Bishop Boulevard, with more on the east and west sides near Binkley Ave.
The front lawn
Dallas Hall
Tailgate spots on the east, center and west sides of the Dallas Hall lawn at the north end, sold like the Boulevard's.
The moment
The Mustang Walk
At the south end of the Boulevard, about 2 hours before kickoff. The team walks in with the band and spirit squads.
Getting out
Campus traffic and neighborhood parking rules make the exit a plan, not a sprint. Your options, best first:
- Ride the shuttle. Parked on East Campus or at Energy Square? The game-day shuttle loops back across US-75.
- Head back to your spot. Boulevard holders can return after the game. Let the streets clear first.
- Walk to your garage. Moody, Binkley, Meadows and Hillcrest are all on campus.
Skip this
Park on a University Park street and hope. Resident-only zones get cited. Don't.
First time here?
Visiting? How to join a tailgate
You don't need a spot to walk the Boulevard: SMU says fans without a tent are "welcome to stroll, mingle and soak up the atmosphere." The spots are pre-sold, so to sit down and eat, join someone who has one, or a visiting team's hospitality tent if your school has one, or find a food truck near the flagpole or along Binkley Avenue by Armstrong Fieldhouse. Then catch the Mustang Walk at the south end, about 2 hours out.
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