Football is back in Kansas City, and if you’re headed to Arrowhead Stadium this season, the Chiefs want you to know the ground rules before you get there.
The team opens its 2026 campaign against the Denver Broncos on Monday, Sept. 14, and with eight games on the home slate, thousands of fans are expected to pack the parking lots and stadium. The schedule includes prime-time matchups against defending conference champions and Super Bowl rematches, so anyone planning an in-person trip should be ready for the logistics as much as the football.
Parking is the first thing to sort out. A single-game parking pass costs $57.25 per car, $151.20 per bus and $189 for a reserved gold parking pass.
Passes are sold through Ticketmaster. The parking lot gates open 4 1/2 hours before kickoff unless the Chiefs announce otherwise, and the first 30 minutes are an open park period.
During that window, fans are sent to open parking in lots C, D, F or G based on their pass, along with approved grass parking on a first-come, first-served basis. After that, parking attendants direct cars to their spots.
Tailgating is allowed, but there are limits. Grills, food and beverages can be used in the parking lot, though none of it can go inside the stadium.
Fans also can’t bring offensive signs, banners or other displays, including the Confederate Flag. The team says tailgate space is limited to 8 eight feet behind your parking space.
And while the parking lot can feel like part of the party, the Truman Sports Complex is for ticketed guests only, with the Chiefs reserving the right to check for tickets at any time.
Once inside Arrowhead, the bag rules are tight and follow the NFL’s Clear Bag policy. Fans can bring one-gallon clear zip-seal bags, such as a Ziploc bag, or small clutch bags no larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches, with or without a handle or strap.
A few other items are permitted, including binoculars without the case, banners, signs and flags no larger than 3 feet by 5 feet, blankets if they’re carried in, cameras smaller than 6 inches without the case, breast pumps and supplies, handheld radios and televisions with an earpiece, portable chargers no larger than 6 inches by 3 inches by 1.5 inches as long as the device is disconnected during inspection, seat cushions without pockets, zippers, compartments or covers, factory-sealed water bottles of 20 ounces or less, and small umbrellas that can’t be opened inside the stadium.
What won’t make it through the gates is a long list: all food and beverage items except factory-sealed 20-ounce water bottles, backpacks, fanny packs, cinch bags and coolers larger than allowed, boom boxes, fireworks, flammable liquids, floor mats, glass, metal or plastic thermoses, cups, bottles or flasks, helmets and hard hats, large strollers, laser pointers of any type, noisemakers like air horns or bells, poles and rods of any kind, portable heaters, seat cushions with pockets, zippers, compartments or covers, sports balls, and weapons such as guns or knives.
The restrictions extend beyond the stadium itself. On the grounds of the Truman Sports Complex, weapons, fireworks, flammable liquids, wood and wood-burning fire pits, glass of any kind, including bottles, drones and other remote controlled devices are also prohibited.
The Chiefs also ban offensive or obscene clothing and signs with language referring to someone’s race, ethnicity, color, gender, religion, creed, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender expression or national origin. That includes headdresses and face paint styled in a way that appropriates American Indian cultures, along with apparel or banners meant to instigate, incite or encourage physical confrontation.
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