LSU Tigers · College · SEC

Tailgating at Tiger Stadium

Lots open
Campus setup: Fri 4:30 p.m.
Grills
Yes · 10 ft from buildings

Checked Oct 28, 2026

The west side of Tiger Stadium at LSU in Baton Rouge
Photo: Daniel Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped

"Hot boudin, cold couche-couche, come on Tigers" is a real tailgate cheer. The food backs it up: boudin, jambalaya, sausage, crawfish, étouffée, and gumbo when it's cold enough, plus, back in 2018, an alligator cooked for Florida week and a hog for Arkansas. The Parade Ground is the center, with fraternity and student-org tents. A Reveille student wrote in 2024 that the crews near the roundabout with the decorated trucks and vans always play good music and give out food, and an older woman handed the writer a plate of boudin balls after a high five.

The lot answer

LSU's tailgate runs all over campus: the free public areas include Gourrier South, Levee South and the grounds around Parker Coliseum, first come, and the golf course lots take credit cards on game day. Tiger Stadium is a night place, and the day exists to get you there, so nobody here picks one tailgate: buy a cheap rolling cooler, fill it and walk the campus, stopping wherever a big pot is going to say it's your first game. Bring a six-pack to share, wear your own school's colors, and take the "Tiger bait" in the spirit it's meant; regulars say out-of-towners get treated better than locals. About two hours before kickoff, find a spot along Victory Hill, where the band and the team come down through the crowd.

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campus gates open for setup
Fri 4:30
tents can't be staked
Weights
everything off campus
Sun noon
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Rules checked Oct 28, 2026
Sources

Rules last verified Oct 28, 2026 against lsusports.net, Sports Illustrated (Aug. 23, 2018) and the Reveille (Aug. 28, 2024).

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Can't miss

  1. Mike the Tiger A live tiger lives in a habitat right next to the stadium. Stop on your way in.
  2. Down Victory Hill Before every home game, the band marches down Victory Hill playing the pregame salute, and fans line the hill ten deep to watch.
  3. "Callin' Baton Rouge" When the stadium plays it, everybody sings, and the lots play it on repeat from Friday on.

Quick answers

When can you set up a tailgate at LSU?

After 5 p.m. Thursday in the exterior campus lots, and after 4:30 p.m. Friday inside the campus gates. Lots 413, 408 and 409 open at 9 a.m. Friday. Setting up before the gates open isn't allowed.

Can you grill at LSU tailgates?

Yes, in contained equipment: grills, smokers, fryers and Blackstones up to the size of a 55-gallon drum. Keep it attended, 10 feet from buildings, out of travel lanes and parking spaces, with a fire extinguisher handy. No ground fires.

Can you drink at LSU tailgates?

LSU's tailgating policies don't set a lot alcohol rule, but glass is strongly discouraged. Outside alcohol isn't allowed in Tiger Stadium. Inside, it's 21 and over, 2 per purchase with ID, and sales stop after the third quarter.

Do you need a ticket to tailgate at LSU?

LSU's policies don't require one, and the free public parking areas are first come. Everyone needs a ticket to get into Tiger Stadium, regardless of age.

How do you buy parking?

Reserved zones are season permits for ticket holders through the Priority Point request list. Game-by-game permits (motor homes, oversized vehicles, paid ADA) are on LSUtix.net, and the grey areas on the parking map are free, first come.

The game-day timeline

  1. Thu 5 PMExterior lot setup opens; Lot 413 opens for motor homes
  2. Fri 9 AMLots 408 and 409 open
  3. Fri 4:30 PMCampus gates open for interior setup and overnight trailers
  4. Fri 5 PMLot 401 and Touchdown Village open
  5. Game day 7 AMMost reserved lots open
  6. 5 hrs beforeMaravich Center and the Fan Zone open
  7. 3 hrs beforeStadium corners close to bikes, scooters and carts
  8. 2 hrs 15 min beforeVictory Hill Parade with the band and the team
  9. 2 hrs beforeAll stadium gates open
  10. Sun noonMotor homes out, and anything left gets thrown away

Where to park

Most campus lots are reserved season parking. If you don't have a permit, here's what's open to you.

Free public
The grey areas on the parking map, including Gourrier South, Levee South and around Parker Coliseum. First come, and they can close for weather.
Day of game
Credit card lots at the golf course on game day.
Trailers
Every trailer needs a 2026 registration or a lot permit. Overnight trailer decals let you in after 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Motor homes
Season lots 401, 408, 409 and Touchdown Village; game-by-game in Lot 413 on River Road.
Buses / oversize
Anything over 20 feet long or 7 feet wide, other than a motor home, parks in Lot 412 with an advance permit.
Accessible
Free ADA parking at the back of Lot 406, off Gourrier Avenue, with a shuttle. Paid ADA in the Nicholson Gateway Garage.
Tiger Stadium game-day parking and tailgating map, simplified
Tiger Stadium game-day parking and tailgating map, simplified
 See the official Tiger Stadium parking map

No parking on the shoulders of Nicholson Drive between West Chimes and Brightside. You can tailgate along it, but cars get towed.
Saving parking spaces, with a tent or anything else, isn't allowed anywhere.
No car? Rideshare drops off and picks up in Lot 406. The game-day shuttle runs from Lot 406 to Lot 101, and picks up after the game in front of Nicholson Gateway.

The rules

Rules last verified Oct 28, 2026 against lsusports.net, Sports Illustrated (Aug. 23, 2018) and the Reveille (Aug. 28, 2024).

LSU rewrote its tailgating policies for 2026. These are the ones that matter in a lot.

Grills
Contained grills, smokers, fryers and Blackstones, no bigger than a 55-gallon drum. Attended, 10 feet from buildings, extinguisher on hand.
Fire
No bonfires, fire pits, burn barrels or Cajun cookers that make a ground fire. Coals go in disposal containers, never under trees.
Tents
No stakes. Weights or ballast only, and no corporate logos. Tents can't save parking spaces.
Trailers
Registered for 2026 or permitted for the lot, one space max, and never on or near the oak trees.
Music
Reasonable volume. Off by midnight the night before and 2 a.m. after the game. No DJs, live bands or stages.
Not allowed
Drones, your own port-o-lets, power from campus buildings, and unapproved selling or signs over 2 feet.
When it ends
Everything off campus by noon Sunday. LSU staff throws out whatever's left.
Bags at the gate
Clear, smaller than 12 x 6 x 12 inches, or a 1-gallon freezer bag, plus a clutch smaller than 4.5 x 6.5 inches.
Gates open
2 hours before kickoff. Suites and clubs open at 3.
Compare the rules in all 173 guides →

Before you go

LSU tailgating & parking policies (Rev. 2026)LSU gameday parking & trafficTiger Stadium policies & gameday timelineFootball 2026 pregame traffic map (PDF)

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

Pack for Baton Rouge

What we'd bring.

  • LSU Tigers 3x5 Flag

    $17.79

    Ships free

    Your team's 3x5 flag with metal grommets. Hang it and your crew finds your spot in the lot.

  • 50 qt Outpost Wheeled Cooler

    $379.49

    Ships free

    Fans walk campus with rolling coolers on LSU Saturdays. Wheels and a pull handle.

More for this lot

  • Daylodge Workspace Camp Kitchen, Fold-Out Table$239

  • GoMist Rechargeable Misting Water Bottle, Insulated, 25 or 40 oz$69 · Ships free

  • The Game Day Starter, $486.99Baton Rouge Campus Gameday cornhole boards, a Luxel folding wagon to roll your cooler across campus, and a Whirl Pong set of 2, in one cart. Shop the kit

Early-season Baton Rouge is hot and humid. Bring water and real shade for the afternoon. Dress runs casual, polos and jeans or a sundress, and "a little looser at LSU," a student leader told Sports Illustrated in 2018.

Shipping and returns

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Gear for LSU fans

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Where the party is

LSU gives you 3 days to work with. Exterior lots open Thursday evening, campus opens Friday afternoon, and the school's own game-day timeline is built around a night kickoff.

The center of campus

The Parade Ground

The big lawn northeast of the stadium.

The no-permit play

The free public lots

Gourrier South, Levee South and the Parker Coliseum area are free and first come.

The march

Victory Hill

The band and the team parade down Victory Hill 2 hours and 15 minutes before kickoff.

Know a setup worth showing off? Nominate your tailgate.

What to eat

Fryers, smokers and big pots are all fair game as long as the fire stays contained, so LSU lots cook for real.

Cook thisJambalaya

Getting out

Getting out of campus after a night game takes patience. Your options, best first:

  1. Take the shuttle back. Postgame pickup is in front of Nicholson Gateway, back to Lot 406, until about 90 minutes after the game.
  2. Rideshare from Lot 406. Drivers stage at the Mobility Hub by the end of the third quarter. Walk to them.
  3. Hang back at the tailgate. Nicholson Drive and Skip Bertman Drive near the stadium close for about 45 minutes after the game, and traffic runs contraflow for a while.

  4. Skip this

    Drive in to pick someone up in the fourth quarter. All inbound traffic gets diverted until contraflow ends. Plan the meetup ahead.

First time here?

  • Exterior lots open Thursday at 5 p.m.; campus opens Friday at 4:30 p.m.
  • Weights for the tent. Stakes aren't allowed.
  • Register your trailer for 2026 before you bring it.
  • Contained grill, 10 feet from buildings, extinguisher nearby.
  • Victory Hill Parade is 2 hours and 15 minutes before kickoff.
  • Clear bag only: smaller than 12 x 6 x 12 inches or a 1-gallon freezer bag, plus a small clutch.

Visiting? How to join a tailgate

LSU asks its fans to tailgate with respect for visiting fans, so walk the lots in your colors and say hello. Bring something to share and ask before you step into someone's setup. An LSU student leader told Sports Illustrated in 2018 that you'll be fed no matter what team you are on, so bring an empty stomach.

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