UTEP Miners · College · Mountain West

Tailgating at Sun Bowl Stadium

Lots open
Outer 8 a.m. · inner noon
Alcohol
Designated lots · no kegs

Checked Oct 15, 2026

Aerial view of Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, set into the desert hillside on the UTEP campus
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, cropped

One UTEP crew had been tailgating at the Sun Bowl for 40 years by the 2022 opener, and rain and thunder that delayed the game didn't send it home. "40 years now we've been tailgating," a longtime fan told KVIA that day, with crews out by 9 a.m. and plenty of food and drinks. Before the 2010 sellout against Texas, one fan's tailgate started at 7 a.m. with menudo, and a former Miners quarterback recalled in 2022 "the loud roar of fans when we entered the game from the mine shaft."

The lot answer

UTEP tailgates in the lots wrapped around the Sun Bowl, a stadium cut into the mountain: the south-side lots SC1 to SC4 and RI4, and the day-of lots DA1, SB2, SB3, SB7 and SB8, paid by card at the entrance. The Miner Athletic Club lots, GR2 and SB4 to SB6, sit right by the stadium, and the team walks past the Glory Field tailgating area on the way in.

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Rules checked Oct 15, 2026
Sources

Rules last verified Oct 15, 2026 against utepminers.com and utep.edu.

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Can't miss

  1. A stadium cut into the mountain The Sun Bowl is carved into the foothills of the Franklin Mountains, and from the upper rows you can see across the border into Juárez.
  2. El Paso's lit star The lit star on the mountainside above town is the El Paso landmark you'll see from the lot at a night game.

Quick answers

What time do the UTEP lots open?

Outer lots open for parking and tailgating at 8 a.m. on game day, and inner campus lots open at noon. Overnight parking isn't allowed, except for ticketed RVs.

Can you grill at UTEP tailgates?

UTEP counts a cooking area as part of your one tailgate setup per space. It doesn't post a fuel rule. Portable generators must be quiet units.

Can you drink at UTEP tailgates?

Yes, in the designated parking lots and approved tailgating areas only. No open containers outside them, no glass on campus, and no kegs, beer balls or beer funnels.

Do you need a ticket to tailgate at UTEP?

UTEP doesn't post a ticket rule for the lots. The person who holds the parking spot is responsible for their guests' conduct.

How do you buy parking at UTEP?

Day-of-game lots (DA1, SB2, SB3, SB7, SB8 and the Sun Bowl Garage) sell on game day only, by card at each lot entrance. The south-side lots are free, and donor lots go through the Miner Athletic Club.

The game-day timeline

  1. 8 a.m.Outer campus lots open for parking and tailgating
  2. NoonInner campus lots open for parking and tailgating
  3. 3 hrs beforeSun Bowl box offices open, and Paydirt Pete's Pregame Party Zone opens at Glory Field
  4. 2 hrs beforeMiner Walk past the Glory Field tailgating area
  5. 1 hr beforeAll stadium gates open
  6. 30 min beforeThe pregame show starts in the stadium

Where to park

Free lots on the south side, day-of-game lots near the stadium, and no tailgating in any garage.

Free
SC1, SC2, SC3, SC4, RI4 and the Schuster Garage on the south side of campus.
Day of game
DA1, SB2, SB3, SB7, SB8 and the Sun Bowl Garage. Sold on game day only, by card at the lot entrance.
Donor lots
GR2, SB4, SB5 and SB6 by the stadium, through the Miner Athletic Club.
RV
SC1, with an RV pass bought before game day, season or single game.
Accessible
GR3, GR5 and DA1, with a valid government placard or plate.
Sun Bowl Stadium game-day parking at UTEP in El Paso, simplified
Sun Bowl Stadium game-day parking at UTEP in El Paso, simplified
 See the official Sun Bowl Stadium parking map

Garages are parking only. If you want to tailgate, take a surface lot.
Saving spaces isn't allowed. If your crew wants to park together, arrive together.
No car? Rideshare drop-off is outside Memorial Gym by Randolph Dr and the RA2 lot. Come in from Mesa St and turn on Robinson Ave.

The rules

Rules last verified Oct 15, 2026 against utepminers.com and utep.edu.

UTEP's rules are long. These are the ones that shape your setup.

Your space
One setup per space, including vehicle, canopies and cooking area, within 4 feet in front of or behind your vehicle.
Alcohol
Designated lots and approved tailgating areas only. No kegs, beer balls or beer funnels.
Glass
Not allowed anywhere on campus on game days.
Garages
No tailgating in parking garages.
Sound
Amplified music stays in your area, speakers pointed in. No DJs. Generators must be quiet units.
Not allowed
Selling food or drinks, tapping university power or cable, saving spots, moving barricades, and ATVs, golf carts or scooters.
Overnight
Not allowed, except ticketed RVs.
Bags at the gate
Clear, up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches, or a 1-gallon clear bag, plus a clutch up to 4.5 x 6.5 inches.
Gates open
1 hour before kickoff for most gates. Club seat entrances open 90 minutes before.
Compare the rules in all 173 guides →

Before you go

UTEP football gameday2026 UTEP football fan guide2026 UTEP football single game parking map

Official pages. Rules change; check them the week of the game.

Pack for El Paso

What we'd bring.

More for this lot

Early-season afternoons in El Paso are hot and bright. Bring shade, sunscreen and plenty of water.

Shipping and returns

Get the Pregame for the Miners. Your lot, your game and what to cook, every week. Free.Get the Pregame for the Miners

Where the party is

UTEP tailgates in the lots wrapped around a stadium cut into the mountain, from 8 a.m. in the outer lots. The team walks right past the Glory Field tailgating area 2 hours before kickoff.

The official one

Paydirt Pete's Pregame Party Zone

UTEP's preset tailgate packages, new at Glory Field for 2026, with a tent, tables, chairs, food and a parking pass, opening 3 hours before kickoff.

Free lots

South campus lots

SC1 to SC4, RI4 and the Schuster Garage are free. Tailgating is allowed in the surface lots, not in the garage.

Near the stadium

SB7 and SB8

Day-of-game lots on the north side.

Know a setup worth showing off? Nominate your tailgate.

What to eat

UTEP folds a cooking area into every tailgate space, so bring the grill.

Getting out

UTEP runs a traffic plan out of every lot after the game. Your options, best first:

  1. Follow the egress plan. Traffic control sends each lot out a set way. Check the exit map in the fan guide before you park.
  2. Walk to rideshare at Memorial Gym. Pick-up is by Randolph Dr and the RA2 lot. Rideshares can't stop anywhere else.

First time here?

  • Outer lots open at 8 a.m., inner campus lots at noon.
  • Stay within 4 feet of your vehicle, one setup per space.
  • No glass anywhere on campus, and no kegs or beer funnels.
  • No tailgating in the garages.
  • Day-of-game lots take cards only. The south lots are free.
  • Clear bag only. Most gates open 1 hour before kickoff.

Visiting? How to join a tailgate

Walk the lots near Glory Field before the Miner Walk, bring something to share and say hello before you step in.

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