What a Raiders home game is like
The Raiders play eight or nine regular-season home games between September and early January at Allegiant Stadium, the 65,000-seat dome just west of Interstate 15 opposite Mandalay Bay. Kickoffs are usually 1:05pm or 1:25pm local time, with a few Sunday, Monday or Thursday night games each year; check the team's official schedule for this season's dates.
Two things surprise first-time visitors. The crowd is a road crowd: because Las Vegas is a fly-in destination, opposing fans routinely make up a third or more of the stadium, and Chiefs, Steelers, Broncos and Cowboys games feel closer to neutral sites. And the building is fully indoor and air-conditioned, so a September game is comfortable even when it is 100°F outside. The stadium's translucent roof and giant end-zone doors that open toward the Strip make it one of the best-looking venues in the league.
Tickets: what they cost and where to buy
Raiders tickets are among the most expensive in the NFL because of that visiting-fan demand. As of 2026, upper-level seats for a typical game start in the low-to-mid hundreds on the resale market, lower-bowl sideline seats run several hundred each and club seats or field-level spots go well past that; marquee opponents and prime-time games push everything higher. Check the official team site and its ticketing partner for face-value releases, which are cheaper than resale when you can catch them.
- Official channel: the Raiders sell single-game tickets through Ticketmaster in tranches over the summer; sign up for alerts.
- Resale: prices often dip in the final 48 hours for non-marquee games as season-ticket holders dump seats. They rarely dip for Chiefs or Cowboys.
- Best value: sections in the upper corners have full-field views for a fraction of sideline prices, and the stadium is steep enough that nothing feels far.
Read our general ticket-buying guide for spotting fake listings, which show up on game weekends.
Getting there: the parking reality
Here is the honest situation: Allegiant Stadium has almost no public parking of its own. The lots around the building are sold in advance to season-ticket holders and premium buyers, and the handful of nearby private lots that sell game-day spaces charge as of 2026 anywhere from around $50 to well over $100 and fill early. If you rent a car for the trip, leave it at your hotel on game day.
The good news is that you do not need a car. The stadium is a short walk from the south Strip, rideshare works if you plan the pickup, and the resorts run shuttles. Most fans staying on the Strip arrive on foot or by shuttle and never think about parking. Our Strip parking guide covers what your hotel garage will charge if you do drive.
Walking from Mandalay Bay, Luxor and the south Strip
The Hacienda Avenue pedestrian bridge links the stadium directly to Mandalay Bay and Luxor. From Mandalay Bay's west side the walk is roughly 15 to 20 minutes; from Luxor add five; from Excalibur, New York-New York and MGM Grand it is a realistic 25 to 40 minutes along Las Vegas Boulevard and then Hacienda. It is flat and well-lit, and the pre-game procession of jerseys across the bridge is part of the atmosphere.
Two practical notes. The bridge and the walkways get very crowded in the last 30 minutes before kickoff and for about 45 minutes after the final whistle, so leave early or linger in the stadium. And in September and early October the daytime heat is still serious, so bring water and wear a hat; you can enter the stadium as soon as gates open (usually two hours before kickoff) and cool off inside. See walking the Strip for distances between the south-Strip resorts.
Shuttles, rideshare and the monorail question
Several resorts operate paid game-day shuttles from their properties to the stadium drop-off zones; as of 2026 they cost in the tens of dollars round-trip and sell out for big games, so book through your hotel as soon as you have tickets. MGM Resorts and Caesars properties typically offer them from their central and north Strip hotels, which saves a long walk.
Rideshare drop-off works fine before the game. Pickup afterward is the problem: the designated rideshare lot is a walk from the gates, surge pricing is heavy and the wait can stretch to 45 minutes. Many fans walk to Mandalay Bay or Luxor and order a car from there, or simply have a drink and wait for the crowd to clear. The monorail ends at MGM Grand, which is a long walk away and is not a practical stadium option. The Deuce bus on Las Vegas Boulevard is cheap but slow on game days. Full options are in our transportation hub.
Bag policy and what to bring
Allegiant Stadium follows the NFL clear-bag policy strictly. You may bring one clear plastic bag no larger than roughly 12 by 6 by 12 inches, or a one-gallon clear zip-top bag, plus a small clutch about the size of a hand. Backpacks, purses, camera bags and diaper bags that are not clear are turned away, and there is no bag check at the gate, so a mistake means a walk back to the hotel. Buy a clear stadium bag before you fly or at any big-box store in town.
- Empty reusable water bottles are generally allowed but check the current list on the stadium site before you go.
- The stadium is cashless; every concession and merchandise stand takes cards and mobile pay.
- Mobile tickets only. Download them to your phone wallet before you arrive because cell service near the gates is slow at capacity.
- It is cold inside for some people; a light layer is worth carrying in a clear bag.
Tailgating and the pregame scene
Traditional lot tailgating barely exists here because the stadium has no general-admission parking. What replaces it is a resort-based pregame. The plazas and casino bars at Mandalay Bay and Luxor fill with fans from mid-morning, several sportsbooks and restaurants run ticketed pregame parties, and the stadium itself opens its own fan zone outside the gates with music and food a few hours before kickoff. Organized, ticketed tailgate events appear in the lots for some games and are sold separately; look for them on the team site.
If you want a proper tailgate, the closest thing is a booked table at a south-Strip sportsbook a couple of hours before kickoff, then the walk across the bridge. Our sportsbook guide lists the rooms worth reserving.
Where to stay for a Raiders weekend
The obvious choice is the Mandalay Bay, Delano or Luxor cluster, which puts you a walk from the gates and gives you pools, restaurants and a sportsbook for the rest of the weekend. Excalibur is the budget option in the same corner. New York-New York, Park MGM and MGM Grand are a longer but still walkable distance and closer to the center of the Strip. See our guide to Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur and the south Strip.
Expect rates to climb on home-game weekends, especially for divisional opponents and any game against a team with a traveling fan base. Booking as soon as the schedule is released in May is the cheapest route; rates and minimum-stay rules tighten through the summer. If you are flexible, a Thursday or Monday night game means a midweek stay at midweek prices.
