Quick answers
What time do the Reliant Stadium lots open?
4 hours before kickoff. The Platinum Lot opens 5 hours before, and Platinum holds your reserved spot until 1 hour before kickoff. Lots close 1 hour after the game.
Can you grill at Reliant Stadium?
Yes, open flames are allowed. Each cooking area needs a 2A-10B:C fire extinguisher with a current service tag, lighter fluid is banned, and hot ashes go in the Orange dumpsters only.
Can you drink at Texans tailgates?
Yes, if you're 21 or over. That age rule covers the stadium and the parking lots. Outside alcohol can't come inside, and stadium sales stop after the 3rd quarter.
Do you need a ticket to tailgate?
Yes. Everyone over 2 on Reliant Park property needs a game ticket or a Tailgate Ticket. Tailgate Tickets are sold from the Texans' parking page.
How do you buy parking?
Ahead of time, from the Texans' parking page. Every lot needs a purchased pass, passes are mobile, and they can't be bought at the gate.
Where to park
Every lot needs a pass bought ahead of time, and each pass covers one 8 x 16 foot space.
- Platinum
- Opens 5 hours before kickoff, an hour ahead of the rest. Reserved spots are held until 1 hour before kickoff.
- Main St.
- Green, Yellow and Purple lots.
- Kirby Dr.
- Blue and Red lots.
- Fannin St.
- Maroon and Orange lots.
- Bus / RV
- Buy at least 2 passes, or as many as the vehicle covers. Staff send you to the RV area in your lot. Slide-outs and chairs outside the RV need passes too.
- Towed pit
- A barbecue pit on a trailer needs its own pass.
- Accessible
- All lots, first come, first served, with a state placard or plate plus a prepaid pass. Show the placard on arrival.
The first hour after the lots open is first come, first served, and nobody can save spots.
Motorcycles get no dedicated area. Each bike needs its own pass.
No car? METRORail's Red Line stops at Stadium Park / Astrodome, on Fannin St. east of the Orange Lot, with extra trains on Texans game days. Rideshare drops off at Yellow Lot 35, gate 16B off Main St.
The rules
Rules last verified Oct 14, 2026 against houstontexans.com and ridemetro.org.
Houston writes everything down, and the fire rules come with a City of Houston fire inspector who can write citations.
- Grills
- Open flames are allowed. Each cooking area needs a 2A-10B:C extinguisher with a current tag and 3 feet of clearance. No lighter fluid. Propane gear must be UL listed, tanks upright.
- Alcohol
- 21 and over to drink, in the lots or the stadium. Inside, sales stop after the 3rd quarter.
- Tents
- Allowed in your space, never in ADA spaces. Tents and chairs get packed up before you go in.
- Your space
- One 8 x 16 foot space per pass. Stay out of the drive lane marked by blue lines down each aisle. No saving spots.
- Who's allowed
- Everyone over 2 needs a game ticket or a Tailgate Ticket.
- Not allowed
- Drones, pets (service animals OK), golf carts, motorized coolers, bikes, sitting on vehicle roofs, speakers over 68 decibels, loud or smoky generators.
- When it ends
- You can tailgate for 1 hour after the game. Then lots close and every vehicle leaves. No overnight parking.
- Bags at the gate
- One 1-gallon clear zip-seal bag, plus a clutch up to 4.5 x 6.5 inches.
- Gates open
- Main gates 90 minutes before kickoff, club entrances 2 hours, per the A-Z guide.
Before you go
Texans parking and tailgatingTexans tailgate guidelinesTexans clear bag policyMETRO: getting to Reliant ParkOfficial parking mapOfficial pages. Rules change; check them the week of the game.
Pack for Houston
What we'd bring.
-
Houston Texans 3x5 Flag, Helmet
$21.79
Ships free
Your team's 3x5 flag with metal grommets. Hang it and your crew finds your spot in the lot.
-
Dubler Party Cooler
$169.89
Ships free
Drinks on one side, cold food on the other, so one cooler covers the whole spread.
-
Dubler Chill Boards, Set of 2
$38.89
Ships free
More for this lot
September and October lots run hot even when the roof is closed. Freeze water bottles the night before.
Where the party is
Reliant Park is set up for a long cook. You get 4 hours before kickoff, an hour after the game and an 8 x 16 box per pass, and open flames are allowed. The catch is the paperwork: extinguisher, ash dumpsters, blue lines.
The early start
The Platinum Lot
It opens 5 hours before kickoff, an hour ahead of every other lot, and sits off Kirby Dr. on the south side next to Blue.
The rideshare end
The Yellow Lot
The big lot off Main St. on the west side, and home to the rideshare tent at Yellow 35.
No game ticket
The Tailgate Ticket
Here for the lot and not the game? A Tailgate Ticket gets you onto Reliant Park with everyone else.
What to eat
Open flames and an 8 x 16 box mean you can cook for real here, and the postgame hour means leftovers get eaten. Outside food and drinks stay in the lot.
Cook thisBeef fajitasGetting out
Houston hands you an hour after the final whistle. Use it. Your ways out, best first:
- Finish the cook. Postgame tailgating is allowed for 1 hour. Let the lots start draining while you eat.
- Take the train. Walk to Stadium Park / Astrodome on Fannin St. The Red Line runs extra trains on Texans game days.
- Rideshare from the Yellow Lot. Every gate's postgame route ends at the rideshare tent in the Yellow Lot.
Skip this
Follow the app instead of the officer. HPD routes traffic by flow, so your way out may not be your way in. Night games run slower both ways.
First time here?
- Buy parking ahead. Passes are mobile, and nobody sells them at the gate.
- Everyone over 2 needs a game ticket or a Tailgate Ticket, even if they're only tailgating.
- Cooking? Bring a 2A-10B:C fire extinguisher with a current service tag.
- Measure your setup at home. One pass covers one 8 x 16 foot space.
- Pack up the tent and chairs before you head in.
- Clear bag only: a 1-gallon zip-seal bag, plus a small clutch.
Visiting? How to join a tailgate
No game ticket? A Tailgate Ticket still gets you onto Reliant Park. Wear your colors, bring something to share, and keep your gear inside the blue lines.
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Your Reliant Stadium game-day sheet, by email
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