Update on East River Flats Tailgating

[alltimetwinsfan]

The Minneapolis Park Board has decided on their plans for how tailgating is going to work on the Flats this year.

The basics:
-Tailgating will be allowed
-Parking on the grass will NOT be allowed
-Parking in the surface lot is $10 per game (no change)
-Tailgate groups will have to purchase a pass ($20 in advance/$30 day of) to host a party...essentially, it's a picnic permit as a CYA for the ability to have alcohol on site

As someone who hosts a group on the Flats, the collateral damage for us is essentially the $140 season pass. However, for a group who may be looking to tailgate once or twice a season (and not planning on getting there early), I would guess those people will head for the fairgrounds in larger numbers since they can't guarantee they can park close enough to their cars to set up a tailgate. Our group will try it and see how things change, but it will be interesting to see what others think of this.

Here's the link to the site: https://www.minneapolisparks.org/rentals__permits/gopher-tailgating/

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

The saga continues!

 

[LakerFan]

Tailgating allowed. WOOT!
No grass parking. BOO!!

Losers. Someone want to explain where we all park for first game when fair grounds and u of m lots are all state fair parking? River flats was a big piece of that puzzle. If the opener was Miami, Ohio maybe all good.

 

[BucktheFadgers]

That sucks. Setting up on the grass by the river was a perfect tailgating spot.

 

[forever a gopher]

By looking at the satellite image, there are roughly 75 parking spots in the surface lot. Certainly way down compared to when they allowed on grass parking. If Mpls is good at anything, it’s dousing water on people trying to have a good time.

 

[MplsGopher]

Well obviously you're supposed to park elsewhere and carry in all your tailgating stuff to the flats grass!

 

[noamfromm]

Well obviously you're supposed to park elsewhere and carry in all your tailgating stuff to the flats grass!

Heck it is more of a weed patch than anything resembling grass

 

[upnorthkid]

If somehow it worked to become a field filled with tailgate set ups it could end up pretty cool. It won’t, but a guy can dream

 

[Hates Monikers]

Curious to know if anyone has tailgated at East River Flats this year with the new rules and system. Our group used to tailgate there and loved it. I hate it at the fairgrounds, but that's just me.

If you've tailgated at East River Flats this year, what do you think? Are there others there with you? Is parking an issue?

 

[MplsGopher]

Curious to know if anyone has tailgated at East River Flats this year with the new rules and system. Our group used to tailgate there and loved it. I hate it at the fairgrounds, but that's just me.

If you've tailgated at East River Flats this year, what do you think? Are there others there with you? Is parking an issue?

Fairgrounds.

Have not looked back. Bus shuttles are fine. I like the pavement over the weeds. Also avoiding the heartattack hill climb (though at times have felt like Rocky Balboa ....)

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

Curious to know if anyone has tailgated at East River Flats this year with the new rules and system. Our group used to tailgate there and loved it. I hate it at the fairgrounds, but that's just me.

If you've tailgated at East River Flats this year, what do you think? Are there others there with you? Is parking an issue?

They are only letting you park in spots, so if you don't get there early enough, you need to haul your gear down from the East River Road Garage. Once you get down there, its great. Lot's of space, grilling, lawn games.

 

[Hates Monikers]

They are only letting you park in spots, so if you don't get there early enough, you need to haul your gear down from the East River Road Garage. Once you get down there, its great. Lot's of space, grilling, lawn games.

Yeah, getting a parking spot on the pavement has been a big worry of ours. Are there many people grilling on the grass?

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

Yeah, getting a parking spot on the pavement has been a big worry of ours. Are there many people grilling on the grass?

Yeah. You are allowed to grill on the grass, just not park there. I've managed to find spots when I show up a 3 hours or so before game time. Also, I don't think they will hassle you if you want to pull in and drop some stuff off before parking in the ramp, so you could at least save yourself hauling it down (though you would still need to haul it back to the ramp).

 

[gophers141]

Stumbled across this old thread.
Is tailgating for Gopher games still allowed at the East River Flats?

I found this old link but when I follow the directions and search for tailgating permits on the Parks website the search comes back blank.

Gopher Football Tailgating at East River Flats

Tailgating and parking available at East River Flats Park in Minneapolis for home Gopher Football games at Huntington Bank Stadium

www.minneapolisparks.org

 

[Ope3]

Stumbled across this old thread.
Is tailgating for Gopher games still allowed at the East River Flats?

I found this old link but when I follow the directions and search for tailgating permits on the Parks website the search comes back blank.

Gopher Football Tailgating at East River Flats

Tailgating and parking available at East River Flats Park in Minneapolis for home Gopher Football games at Huntington Bank Stadium

www.minneapolisparks.org

Not allowed.

 

[gophers141]

Not allowed.

People aren't allowed to park there at all anymore to tailgate or just not on the grass?

 

[Ope3]

People aren't allowed to park there at all anymore to tailgate or just not on the grass?

Parking is only allowed on the pavement spots, so there are very few to begin with.

That link you have references Michigan / Oct 7 not being allowed, so that was from 2023. Looked like a permit could be bought to use the park.

In the couple of times, I have driven by on Game Days for night games, I recall very few if anyone using the park. Maybe for day games there are a few out there.

Sorry, I don't have anything more concrete.

 

[Hates Monikers]

Parking is only allowed on the pavement spots, so there are very few to begin with.

That link you have references Michigan / Oct 7 not being allowed, so that was from 2023. Looked like a permit could be bought to use the park.

In the couple of times, I have driven by on Game Days for night games, I recall very few if anyone using the park. Maybe for day games there are a few out there.

Sorry, I don't have anything more concrete.

Where have you seen that tailgating there is no longer allowed? It was last year (not that it's relevant for this year), but I haven't seen anything stating it won't be this year. The city sold tailgating permits online, with each game specifically listed; my assumption is the site isn't updated for 2025 yet. But I may be wrong.

 

[gophers141]

Where have you seen that tailgating there is no longer allowed? It was last year (not that it's relevant for this year), but I haven't seen anything stating it won't be this year. The city sold tailgating permits online, with each game specifically listed; my assumption is the site isn't updated for 2025 yet. But I may be wrong.

That could definitely be the case, 2025 season just hasn't been updated yet.

If you've parked at East River Flats in the past can you share any details?
-If you purchase a tailgating permit from Minneapolis Parks are you guaranteed a parking spot?
-Is it like the U of M lots where you aren't allowed to park there any earlier than 6 hours before kick off or could you show up as early as you want?
-Does it get pretty gull on game days?

 

[Ope3]

Where have you seen that tailgating there is no longer allowed? It was last year (not that it's relevant for this year), but I haven't seen anything stating it won't be this year. The city sold tailgating permits online, with each game specifically listed; my assumption is the site isn't updated for 2025 yet. But I may be wrong.

Apologies for confusion. By "tailgating" I specifically meant parking on the grass and setting up shop right there, which has not been allowed for several years. Only pavement parking is allowed, and there are not very many spots.

Sure, they have been allowing some to buy a "tailgating" permit and use the park. I've never seen it look like as many are in the banner photo here in the handful of times I have driven by, but that's probably the timing on my part or weather.

Even this does not look like a huge crowd, but enough for a good atmosphere.

Gopher Football Tailgating at East River Flats

Tailgating and parking available at East River Flats Park in Minneapolis for home Gopher Football games at Huntington Bank Stadium

www.minneapolisparks.org

 

[Schnauzer]

-Does it get pretty gull on game days?

 

[Hates Monikers]

Apologies for confusion. By "tailgating" I specifically meant parking on the grass and setting up shop right there, which has not been allowed for several years. Only pavement parking is allowed, and there are not very many spots.

Sure, they have been allowing some to buy a "tailgating" permit and use the park. I've never seen it look like as many are in the banner photo here in the handful of times I have driven by, but that's probably the timing on my part or weather.

Even this does not look like a huge crowd, but enough for a good atmosphere.

Gopher Football Tailgating at East River Flats

Tailgating and parking available at East River Flats Park in Minneapolis for home Gopher Football games at Huntington Bank Stadium

www.minneapolisparks.org

That could definitely be the case, 2025 season just hasn't been updated yet.

If you've parked at East River Flats in the past can you share any details?
-If you purchase a tailgating permit from Minneapolis Parks are you guaranteed a parking spot?
-Is it like the U of M lots where you aren't allowed to park there any earlier than 6 hours before kick off or could you show up as early as you want?
-Does it get pretty gull on game days?

For the past few years, you've needed to buy a tailgating permit from the Park Board. Even with the permit, you still have to pay for parking at the lot, and no -- you're not guaranteed a spot in the lot. We've only gone there once (last year) because we didn't want to get stuck without a spot. You can tailgate on the grass, but not park on it. I'm not sure what the rules are about timing, but it's not related to the U.

We finally tried it last year for a non-conference game, which made us confident we'd get a spot to park. That was true, but there were also very few tailgaters. I really like it there (I don't like the Fairgrounds), but others in our group didn't want to go back because there was so little atmosphere.

 

[BilldGopher]

I'll just note the C-86 Lot offers a lot. Been there from the start at TCF and like it. It is not full so there is room to tailgate if you wish and people do tailgate. It is a 1.1 mile walk across the campus if that is your thing. In the early years there were shuttle buses but that probably stopped 10 years ago. We like using the choo choo station right there where the trains are typically only full when coming back from competitive games when everyone stays to the end. Finally, access in and out is pretty decent and probably works best for folks on the Mpls side of the Cities. The biggest complication for access is the City of Minneapolis' unrelenting campaign to restrict automobile traffic flows, first with the construction and then the street design behind the construction.