Can't miss
- Script Ohio Pregame, right before kickoff: the band marches Ohio across the field in cursive, the drum major leads a senior sousaphone player out to dot the i, and he bows to both sides of the stadium.
- Skull Session Before the game, the band plays a full concert in St. John Arena and the team walks through on its way to the stadium.
- Walking around the Shoe The stadium's open end and double-deck curve are why everyone calls it the Shoe. Circle the outside before kickoff.
Quick answers
What time do the Ohio State lots open?
5 a.m. on game day, first come, first served. No vehicles, chairs, grills or tents go into a lot before then. Tents can go up in campus grass areas from 5 p.m. Thursday.
Can you grill at Ohio State tailgates?
Propane, yes. Charcoal grills, wood grills and fire pits are banned on campus. Keep a fire extinguisher handy and set the grill on a level surface and a shield, 10 feet from structures. No grills in garages.
Can you drink at Ohio State tailgates?
Ohio and Columbus open container law applies: no open container of beer or liquor in a public place, and officers enforce it. You can't bring alcohol into Ohio Stadium.
Do you need a ticket to tailgate?
The rules tie tailgating to a parking space, not a ticket. If you don't hold an athletics permit, buy a space in a day-of-game lot, and keep everything inside it.
How do you buy parking?
Most fans pay at the lot entrance on game day, by card or phone, with no reservations. Season permit lots go to Buckeye Club members, and a few single-game permits are sold ahead on Ticketmaster.
The game-day timeline
- Thu 5 PMTents can go up in grass areas around campus (not in parking lots)
- Sat 5 AMAll lots and garages open. No gear or setup before this
- 6 hrs beforeWest Campus and accessible shuttles start running
- 4 to 5 hrs outOfficers start directing traffic and closing roads
- 3 hrs beforeSkull Session doors open at St. John Arena
- 2 hrs 20 minThe band marches to St. John Arena
- Sun 10 AMVehicles and RVs out of the lots
- Sun noonTents in grass areas come down
Where to park
Unless you hold a season permit, you're in a day-of-game lot: pay at the entrance, card or phone, first come, first served.
- Premiere
- Day-of-game lots just west of the Olentangy along Woody Hayes Dr, near Ag Admin and Animal Science. The top tier.
- Proximity
- Garages, including Arps and Neil Ave. Grills, generators and outlets are not allowed in garages.
- Non-proximity
- West Campus lots past Kenny Rd (free shuttle), the Ackerman Rd lots and south campus garages.
- Season permits
- Lots near the stadium, for Buckeye Club members. Spaces are held until 90 minutes before kickoff.
- RV
- Gray and Buckeye Lots by the Schottenstein Center. Permit only, mostly sold by the season. About 40 x 60 feet per RV.
- Accessible
- Lots north of St. John Arena and the Lane Ave Garage, in from Lane Ave. Placard, registration and the placard holder in the car.
- Party bus
- Permit-only parking on John Herrick Dr, bought ahead. Buses up to about 27 feet. No tailgating there.
There's no in and out. Each pass or payment is good for one entrance, so bring everything the first time.
Officers start closing roads 4 to 5 hours before kickoff, and Woody Hayes Dr is closed between Cannon Dr and Tuttle Park Pl.
No car? COTA lines 1, 2, 8, 22, 31 and 102 serve campus. Rideshare can only drop off and pick up on Borror Dr by the Schottenstein Center or at 19th and Neil.
The rules
Rules last verified Oct 28, 2026 against ohiostatebuckeyes.com, osu.campusparc.com and Sports Illustrated (Aug. 23, 2018).
Ohio State writes its rules down in detail. These are the ones that shape your setup.
- Grills
- Propane only, with a fire extinguisher, on a level surface and a shield, 10 feet from structures. Charcoal, wood grills and fire pits are banned. No grills in garages.
- Alcohol
- Ohio and Columbus open container law applies in public places, and officers enforce it. No alcohol into the stadium.
- Tents
- 10 x 10 pop-ups with weights are recommended; stakes need approval. In lots from 5 a.m. game day. In campus grass from 5 p.m. Thursday, down by noon Sunday.
- Your space
- Car and tailgate fit in 8.5 x 15 feet. No saving spaces, and nothing in empty spaces, crosswalks or drive lanes.
- Not allowed
- Drones, golf carts and gators, dumping coals or grease, university power outlets, and selling without approval.
- When it ends
- Vehicles out of the lots by 10 a.m. Sunday. Tents in grass areas down by noon Sunday.
- Bags at the gate
- No bags. A wallet, wristlet or clutch up to 5 x 8 x 1 inches. One 14 x 14 x 4 bag for medical, dietary or childcare needs, through set entrances.
Before you go
Ohio Stadium traffic and parkingOhio Stadium tailgating policiesCampusParc football parkingAthletics facilities policies2026 day-of-game parking map (PDF)Official pages. Rules change; check them the week of the game.
Pack for Columbus
What we'd bring.
-
Ultralight Tall-Back Camp Chair
$45
Ships free
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ExtremeMist Heated Blanket Poncho with 10,000 mAh Battery
$89.95
Ships free
Big Ten in November. A battery-heated blanket that turns into a poncho, so your hands stay free.
More for this lot
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Opener & Shotgun Tool$7.99 · Free over $50 (our gear)
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Tailgate Trekker 20L Soft Backpack Cooler$149 · Free over $50 (our gear)
-
Monument G22 Tabletop Gas Grill, 2 Burners$199 · Ships free
Early-season games can be hot on the asphalt, and late-season games get cold. Check the forecast and pack layers. The Buckeye Boosters president told Sports Illustrated in 2018 that people don't really dress up in jackets or dresses: shorts and shirts early in the season, warmer clothes by November.
Where the party is
Ohio State's own parking page counts more than 100,000 fans heading to the stadium on game day, and the lots open at 5 a.m. to take them. Space is tight and the rules are specific, so the setups that work are the ones that arrive early and pack small.
The close one
The Premiere lots
Day-of-game lots across the river from the stadium, along Woody Hayes Dr. Pay at the gate by card or phone.
The long day
The West Campus lots
The non-proximity lots past Kenny Rd. A free shuttle runs from Mount Hall to the transit hub south of the stadium, from 6 hours before kickoff to 1 hour after.
The pregame
Skull Session
Free, in St. John Arena. Doors open 3 hours before kickoff and the band marches in 2 hours and 20 minutes out. Seats are first come, and it fills.
What to eat
It all comes off a propane grill or out of your kitchen, so plan the menu around that. No time to cook? Inside the stadium, the Columbus Dispatch found open-air grilled burgers and rib-eye steak sandwiches near Sections 25A and 26A in 2024, plus hot-honey footlong hot dogs. Want someone else to run the whole tailgate? REVELxp, the university's official full-service supplier, started its packages at $800 that year.
Cook thisBuckeyesGetting out
More than 100,000 people head for the exits at once. Pick your way out before the fourth quarter:
- Take the shuttle back. The West Campus shuttle runs until 1 hour after the game, from the transit hub on John Herrick Dr back to Mount Hall.
- Walk to a rideshare zone. Borror Dr by the Schottenstein Center, or 19th and Neil. Drivers can't get any closer to the stadium.
- Read the outbound map first. Ohio State posts a 2026 outbound traffic map with closures and turn-only intersections. Expect to go where it sends you.
Skip this
Race out of the lot. You have until 10 a.m. Sunday to get out. The first wave can have the roads.
First time here?
- Lots open at 5 a.m. Nothing goes down before then, not even a chair.
- Measure at home: car plus setup has to fit in 8.5 x 15 feet.
- Bring propane. Charcoal is banned everywhere on campus.
- Card or phone for parking. No lot or garage takes cash on game day.
- No bags into the stadium. A wallet or wristlet up to 5 x 8 x 1 inches is it.
- Skull Session is free. Doors at St. John Arena open 3 hours before kickoff.
- Locals say arrive 3 to 4 hours before most games, and earlier for night games and big ones.
Visiting? How to join a tailgate
Park in a day-of-game lot, set up inside your space and walk the lots in your colors. Bring something to share and keep the trash talk friendly. Skull Session is free, so it's an easy first stop. Visitors are likelier to get fed at a boosters' tailgate than heckled, though the south end zone student section is the one place to steer clear of.
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