Quick answers
What time does Texas State tailgating open?
Texas State tailgating and Boko's Backyard open 6 hours before kickoff. Fans with a reserved space can set up in Boko's Backyard from 4 p.m. the day before, and RVs can start arriving the day before too.
Can you grill at Texas State tailgates?
Texas State hasn't posted a grill rule for Boko's Backyard or the lots on its 2026 pages. Ask tailgating@txstate.edu when you reserve, before you pack a grill.
Can you drink at Texas State tailgates?
Beer, wine and soft drinks are sold in Boko's Backyard, and Texas State offers beer and wine packages with certified servers for reserved spaces. Its 2026 pages don't post a rule on bringing your own.
Do you need a ticket to tailgate at Texas State?
Texas State doesn't post a ticket rule. The community tailgate in Boko's Backyard is open to fans, but bringing your own setup means reserving a space in advance, and the stadium needs a ticket.
How do you buy parking at Texas State?
Public passes are digital and sold per game, online or on game day, and several garages and lots are free. Donor lots 1 to 5 go through the Bobcat Club.
The game-day timeline
- Day before, noonRV access for reserved donor RV lots
- Day before, 4 p.m.Boko's Backyard opens for setup
- 6 hrs beforeTailgating and Boko's Backyard open. Will call, ticket office and fan shop open
- 3 hrs beforeBobcat Game Day Show in Boko's Backyard. Free shuttles start
- 2 hrs beforeLive music on the Boko's Backyard stage
- 90 min beforeGates open
- 18 min beforePregame show on Jim Wacker Field
Where to park
Paid lots open 6 hours out, a handful of garages and lots are free, and a free shuttle covers the rest.
- Paid lots
- Mill Street, Lot 5, City Hall, Thorpe Lane and Bert Brown lots, open 6 hours before kickoff. Digital passes, online or on game day.
- Free
- Woods Street and Matthews Street garages (levels 1 and 2), plus the JCK, Sessoms, Jowers Access Road and University Events Center lots.
- Donor lots
- Lots 1 to 5 through the Bobcat Club, single-space tailgating. Lot 5 allows small tailgates of up to 4 spots.
- Lot 5 entry
- No left turns into Lot 5 from Aquarena Springs Dr. Eastbound traffic turns right into it.
- RV
- Thorpe Lane lot from 6 p.m. the day before, with hookups, through the ticket office. Donor RV lot from noon the day before.
- Accessible
- Lots 2 to 5, Mill Street (with a paratransit van from 2 hours before kickoff to 1 hour after), and the Edward Gary and Woods Street garages.
- Rideshare
- Lot P11 at the intramural fields near Bobcat Village (10-minute max), the Bobcat Ballpark bus loop or the University Events Center bus loop.
Rideshare drivers can't get into the lots near the stadium or drop off curbside on the access streets. Use the three set spots.
Reserve a Boko's Backyard space by Thursday of game week if you're bringing your own tent or gear.
No pass? The free Bobcat shuttle runs from the LBJ Student Center, San Jacinto Hall and the Edward Gary garage, from 3 hours before kickoff to 1 hour after, and drops off near Gate 6 and Boko's Backyard.
The rules
Rules last verified Oct 15, 2026 against txst.com and txstatebobcats.evenue.net.
Texas State's 2026 pages cover where and when. The cooking and drinking rules aren't posted yet.
- Where
- Boko's Backyard on the campus rec fields, and single spaces in the donor lots.
- Your space
- Reserved Boko's spaces are 20 x 20 feet, up to 3 per group, booked by Thursday of game week.
- Grills
- Not posted on Texas State's 2026 pages. Ask tailgating@txstate.edu.
- Alcohol
- Beer and wine sold in Boko's Backyard. Rules for your own drinks aren't posted.
- Not allowed
- Private golf carts and utility vehicles on university property, and outside food or drink in the stadium.
- Bags at the gate
- One clear bag 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
- 90 minutes before kickoff. No re-entry, and every venue is cashless.
Before you go
TXST Game Day Central 2026 (parking, tailgate, shuttle, timeline)Texas State unveils Boko's Backyard (Aug. 14, 2026)Boko's Backyard space reservations (TXST Athletics tickets)Texas State stadium and ticket policiesOfficial pages. Rules change; check them the week of the game.
Pack for San Marcos
What we'd bring.
-
Ultralight Tall-Back Camp Chair
$45
Ships free
-
Tailgate Trekker 20L Soft Backpack Cooler
$149
Free over $50 (our gear)
Boko's Backyard is on the rec fields, a walk from the car. 18 cans ride on your back.
Early-season games in San Marcos are hot. Bring shade, water and sunscreen, and save the layers for late November.
Where the party is
Boko's Backyard is new for 2026: the campus rec fields across from UFCU Stadium turned into one big tailgate with food trucks, a stage and a game day show. Reserve a 20 x 20 for your crew, or just walk in and join the community side.
The main event
Boko's Backyard
Texas State's 2026 tailgate home on the campus rec grass fields across from the stadium, with food trucks, drinks for sale, live music, kids' activities and the team's Cat Walk. Opens 6 hours before kickoff.
The donor lots
Lots 1 to 5
Bobcat Club lots on the west and east sides of the stadium, with single-space tailgating. Lot 5 allows small tailgates up to 4 spots.
The RV row
Thorpe Lane lot
Paid parking that opens 6 hours before kickoff, and RV setup with hookups from 6 p.m. the day before.
What to eat
Food trucks fill Boko's Backyard on game day, and Texas State sells catered tailgate menu packages for reserved spaces.
Getting out
Everything empties onto Aquarena Springs Dr and toward I-35. Your options, best first:
- Ride the shuttle back. Free Bobcat shuttles run for 1 hour after the game to the LBJ Student Center, San Jacinto Hall and the Edward Gary garage.
- Meet your rideshare at a set spot. Lot P11, the Bobcat Ballpark bus loop or the University Events Center bus loop.
- Take the paratransit van. It runs to the Mill Street lot until 1 hour after the game.
Skip this
Try a left into Lot 5. You can't, and neither can anyone else.
First time here?
- Tailgating opens 6 hours before kickoff.
- Bringing your own tent? Reserve a Boko's space by Thursday.
- Boko's opens for setup at 4 p.m. the day before.
- Free shuttle from 3 hours out, from 3 campus stops.
- Several campus garages and lots are free.
- Clear bag only, cashless venues, gates 90 minutes out.
Visiting? How to join a tailgate
Boko's Backyard has a community tailgate with food and drinks for sale, so it's the natural first stop. Bring something to share and say hello before you step into a reserved space.
Free · one page · works offline
Your UFCU Stadium game-day sheet, by email
One page for the lot: where to park, when it opens, what you can bring.
We don't sell your email.
