Gopher Football Parking Updates, Per the U

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Per the U:

PARKING UPDATES
2026 FOOTBALL SEASON
Ahead of the 2026 Gopher Football season, several updates will be implemented to football game day parking and tailgating lots. This fall will feature the return of tailgating in Lot 33, as well as Lot 33 and Gateway Lot transitioning to reserved space parking to align with other Zone 1 lots. Additionally, Lot 37 will have solar panels installed throughout the lot as part of the University's Climate Action Plan (CAP).

Please review the changes below before the season ticket and parking upgrade process, which will begin in late May.
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Lot 33
Lot 33 will be available for tailgating for the first time since the 2023 football season. The lot was unavailable during the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to campus construction.

While overall capacity in Lot 33 will be lower than in 2023, its return increases the total number of tailgating passes available compared to the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Lot 33 will be made available during the season ticket holder ticket and parking upgrades process.
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Gateway & Lot 33
Beginning in 2026, both the Gateway Lot and Lot 33 will transition to reserved parking. With this change, all Zone 1 tailgating lots will be reserved, while Zone 2 lots will remain general admission.

Current Gateway Lot pass holders will receive additional information via email prior to the upgrades process regarding reserving their parking location ahead of the 2026 season.

Click HERE for more information on season parking.
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Lot 37
Solar panels will be installed over parking stalls throughout all of Lot 37 ahead of the 2026 season as part of the University’s Twin Cities Climate Action Plan (CAP). One of the primary goals of CAP is to increase renewable energy produced on campus through initiatives such as increasing solar by adding panels on rooftops and parking lots.

This project will not impact existing tailgating policies or reduce the total number of parking stalls.

Construction is scheduled to begin shortly after the conclusion of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in late June, with substantial completion anticipated in early September. Remaining work will be completed during the early portion of the 2026 football season. All construction materials and equipment will be cleared from the lot on game days to minimize disruption to tailgating activities.

Renderings of the project can be seen below.
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Go Gophers!!
 



TurfGopher said:
This is absolute bullshit! killing the once tremendous Lot 37 vibe... Going to be a noisy and cold every game. Literally stealing our sunshine!
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There's pro's and con's. They have these on the west bank lot we're in. I probably preferred it without them, for the sun. It does provide enough cover, however, that we pretty much only use our tent now when it's raining or cold and we want a heated space. The drive aisles don't have them (PV panels are just over the parking lanes), so you still do get sun.
 

What I wish they'd do is open C79 for tailgating (highlighted below) and figure out a place for clinic users to park somewhere else 7 days a year. They moved us over there for a year while they were installing the PV panels on the west bank lot. Still close to the stadium, but super easy in/out right by the Huron exit. And no fence around the parking lot, so you have easy access to the ring of green space around it.

Screenshot 2026-05-13 152124.png
 



forever a gopher said:
There's pro's and con's. They have these on the west bank lot we're in. I probably preferred it without them, for the sun. It does provide enough cover, however, that we pretty much only use our tent now when it's raining or cold and we want a heated space. The drive aisles don't have them (PV panels are just over the parking lanes), so you still do get sun.
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Do they have any restrictions on propane grills or heaters? I could see the U saying that it’s against their fire code or something like that.
 


markiemark09 said:
Do they have any restrictions on propane grills or heaters? I could see the U saying that it’s against their fire code or something like that.
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We are also in the West Bank lot and there are no rules any different than the folks in the high-roller lots near the stadium.

We almost always set up around the border of the lot where the panels aren't covering and the lot is so far from being full that it is never an issue finding those types of spaces. The only exception is if there is a chance of bad weather. In that case, we set up under the panels for a little more protection.
 



forever a gopher said:
What I wish they'd do is open C79 for tailgating (highlighted below) and figure out a place for clinic users to park somewhere else 7 days a year. They moved us over there for a year while they were installing the PV panels on the west bank lot. Still close to the stadium, but super easy in/out right by the Huron exit. And no fence around the parking lot, so you have easy access to the ring of green space around it.

View attachment 44135
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I could not agree more with this. We loved it when the "forced us" to move there for that one season. It was an easier walk to the stadium and easy in-and-out. I guess I've never been past there on an average game to see how full to capacity it is with clinic parking but it sure seems like even half a lot could be used for tailgating.
 






HopHead said:
I could not agree more with this. We loved it when the "forced us" to move there for that one season. It was an easier walk to the stadium and easy in-and-out. I guess I've never been past there on an average game to see how full to capacity it is with clinic parking but it sure seems like even half a lot could be used for tailgating.
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Does Oak St ramp fill up for games? If not, save 40 spots and send all clinic guests over there with a validated card so they don’t have to pay event rates. But of course that would involve athletics, parking, and M Health to cooperate and play nice together, which ain’t gonna happen.
 

forever a gopher said:
Does Oak St ramp fill up for games? If not, save 40 spots and send all clinic guests over there with a validated card so they don’t have to pay event rates. But of course that would involve athletics, parking, and M Health to cooperate and play nice together, which ain’t gonna happen.
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Oak Street Ramp has had repeated issues with overselling parking, including to season ticket holders who prepaid for guaranteed parking, only to be told upon arrival that the ramp was full and they needed to find parking elsewhere, with no refund or assistance provided by the U.
 

Flecknation said:
Oak Street Ramp has had repeated issues with overselling parking, including to season ticket holders who prepaid for guaranteed parking, only to be told upon arrival that the ramp was full and they needed to find parking elsewhere, with no refund or assistance provided by the U.
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Yeah I had that happen once and had to park at the River Road ramp. Almost missed the start of the game.
 

HopHead said:
We are also in the West Bank lot and there are no rules any different than the folks in the high-roller lots near the stadium. We almost always set up around the border of the lot where the panels aren't covering and the lot is so far from being full that it is never an issue finding those types of spaces. The only exception is if there is a chance of bad weather. In that case, we set up under the panels for a little more protection.
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Billds are also in C-86 and this was what I was going to note. We rarely tailgate but those that do inhabit the periphery of the lot for sure. BTW, even though the panels do result in shade, they are leaky in the rain so still need a tent or cover if wanting to stay dry.
 

Flecknation said:
Oak Street Ramp has had repeated issues with overselling parking, including to season ticket holders who prepaid for guaranteed parking, only to be told upon arrival that the ramp was full and they needed to find parking elsewhere, with no refund or assistance provided by the U.
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I'm not surprised but that would be super infuriating.
 


Flecknation said:
Oak Street Ramp has had repeated issues with overselling parking, including to season ticket holders who prepaid for guaranteed parking, only to be told upon arrival that the ramp was full and they needed to find parking elsewhere, with no refund or assistance provided by the U.
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That was my experience with lot 37 a few times. Let alone just general disorganization.
 



Flecknation said:
Oak Street Ramp has had repeated issues with overselling parking, including to season ticket holders who prepaid for guaranteed parking, only to be told upon arrival that the ramp was full and they needed to find parking elsewhere, with no refund or assistance provided by the U.
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The ability to find anyone who can help you with a game day parking issue is zero. Even calling athletics or UMN parking during the week in anticipation of a weekend issue is a fools errand.
 


PMWinSTP said:
It's seven days in the year. The cost/benefit analysis compared to the other 358 days that other people will be using the lot and glad they have covered parking is a complete no-brainer.
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How many years to break even on this project?
 

Swaggerson said:
The ability to find anyone who can help you with a game day parking issue is zero. Even calling athletics or UMN parking during the week in anticipation of a weekend issue is a fools errand.
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Tend to agree however I do still receive paper tix that includes my individual parking lot entry tix for barcode scanning. The U of course changed to QR codes for the gate that was no longer a bar code reader. Had my tix but could not get into the lot.

Fortunately for two seasons now GopherSports has emailed me the individual gameday parking passes that I can print at home for the QR code. No where near comparable for a gameday issue with parking but them sending the e-tix for parking gate entry has been great.
 





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