Choose the feeling you want.
Is this a family pilgrimage, a reunion, a history lesson, or a once-in-a-lifetime sports weekend? Decide what matters most before filling the schedule. Secure tickets, lodging, and transportation first.
This weekend becomes your story
More than a game.
Notre Dame does not reveal itself in one moment. It happens in the walk across campus, the first glimpse of the Dome, a song drifting from the distance, the people who welcome you, and the anticipation that builds until the stadium finally erupts.
Start planning your visitMatt’s invitation
Create the gameday story only you can tell.
My own Notre Dame story began with the 1988 Miami game. I was watching from a distance, but what I saw gave me a goal: work hard enough to become part of this place.
Years later, after studying here, building a career, and attending hundreds of games on campus and across the country, I have learned that the best weekends are not simply packed with activities. They have a shape. They begin with anticipation, create space for discovery, and build toward kickoff without rushing past everything that gives the day meaning.
Your first visit should not feel like following someone else’s checklist. Use this guide to make informed choices, then leave enough room for Notre Dame to surprise you.
Build your own first-visit plan →The rhythm of a Notre Dame weekend.
Think in chapters rather than appointments. Kickoff anchors the day; everything else should support the kind of memory you want to carry home.
Let anticipation begin.
Arrive early enough to walk without urgency. Campus feels different before the crowds peak. Find the landmarks, attend one or two traditions, and begin recognizing the routes you will use Saturday.
Enter the story gradually.
Weather, breakfast, parking, and walking time determine the pace. Start earlier than seems necessary. As campus fills, notice the family reunions, familiar songs, and generations returning to the same places.
Choose moments, not everything.
Visit the Grotto or Main Building, hear the band, join a tailgate, or watch the team arrive—but do not try to conquer every tradition. Protect time for the people you came with.
Be inside before you have to be.
Security and mobile tickets are practical necessities, but early entry also gives the stadium time to become part of your memory. Find your seats, look around, and watch the atmosphere assemble.
Let the weekend have an ending.
Do not let traffic be the only final chapter. Reconnect with your group, revisit a favorite place if time allows, and make room to talk about the moment each person will remember.
GR
Matt’s Golden Rules
Firsthand guidance for a better story.
This is the beginning of a growing collection of Matt’s lessons from hundreds of Notre Dame weekends.
Build backward from kickoff.
Entry time, traditions, meals, walking, and arrival all become easier when kickoff is the fixed point.
Protect the moments between plans.
The unexpected conversation or quiet campus view may matter more than the next item on the itinerary.
Go inside early.
A first visit deserves time to absorb the stadium before the game demands all of your attention.
Ready to make it yours?
Start the visit workflowTurn the story into your plan.
Choose your weekend, pace, traditions, and priorities. Save everything in your browser and print a personalized summary. Matt also offers personalized Notre Dame tours for gameday and non-gameday visits, customized around your group. Contact matt@gameday.irish.
Official information
Prepare for the stadium.
The story works because the practical details are handled before you arrive. This visitor-friendly reference summarizes current Notre Dame guidance; official University pages remain the final authority and should be checked again during game week.
Download before arrival
- Every person, including infants, needs a ticket.
- Add mobile tickets to the device wallet before gameday.
- Use the suggested gate shown on the mobile ticket.
- Ticket resolution booths at Gates B and D open three hours before kickoff.
- Murnane Family Ticket Office: 574-631-7356.
Arrive with time to spare
- Premium doors generally open two hours before kickoff.
- Other stadium gates generally open 90 minutes before kickoff.
- All entrances use metal detectors after bag inspection.
- Guests generally do not remove belts, phones, coins, jackets, jewelry, watches, wallets, or shoes.
- No stadium re-entry after leaving without a new, unused ticket.
Bring less
- Clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bags: maximum 12 × 6 × 12 inches.
- Small clutch or wallet: maximum 4.5 × 6.5 inches.
- One-gallon clear plastic storage bags are permitted.
- Diapers and baby supplies must go inside an approved clear bag.
- No bag-check service is available for rejected bags.
Know what can enter
- Cell phones, binoculars, and blankets.
- Small umbrellas that do not obstruct others.
- Cameras with lenses shorter than six inches, without a case.
- Empty non-glass water vessels.
- Seat cushions no larger than 16 × 16 inches.
- Medical equipment and nursing pumps after additional screening.
Leave these behind
- Weapons, drones, fireworks, glass, and aerosol containers.
- Outside alcohol, food, or beverages, subject to approved dietary exceptions.
- Noncompliant bags, camera cases, golf umbrellas, strollers, and selfie sticks.
- Signs, banners, balloons, artificial noisemakers, and laser pointers.
- Stadium chairs or seat backs unless medically documented or rented through the stadium program.
- Tobacco, e-cigarettes, marijuana, and illegal drugs.
Payments and services
- Concessions and vendors are cashless; major cards and mobile payments are accepted.
- A cash-to-Visa gift-card kiosk is located at Gate D.
- Complimentary Wi-Fi is available on the ND-Guest network.
- Guest Services booths are located at lower-concourse Gates A–E and on the upper level.
- Ask Guest Services about Safe in the Seat wristbands for children and dependents.
Arrange needs in advance
- Contact the ticket office well before the game for accessible seating arrangements.
- Ramps are located at Gates A, B, D, and E.
- East- and west-side elevators serve upper levels.
- Wheelchair transport to and from seats may be requested, but wheelchairs cannot remain with guests.
- Medically necessary items receive inspection at specified gates.
Know where to turn
- First aid: lower level near Sections 11 and 26; upper level near Sections 109–110 and 128–129.
- For in-stadium gameday assistance call 574-631-8895.
- Follow the stadium videoboard, public-address announcements, and University emergency guidance.
- Lost and found during the game is in Room 1235 on the West Concourse.
- Weapons are prohibited throughout campus.
Current stadium rules
- Beer, wine, and seltzer may be sold at general concession stands.
- Purchasers must be 21 with valid identification.
- Limit of two alcoholic beverages per person, per identification.
- Service ends at the conclusion of the third quarter.
- Outside alcohol and alcohol containers are prohibited.