{"id":245517,"date":"2026-04-25T00:26:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T00:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/245517\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T00:26:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T00:26:44","slug":"parking-schedule-merch-tips-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/245517\/","title":{"rendered":"Parking, schedule, merch, tips and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you one of roughly 180,000 fans expected to attend<\/a> the BTS concerts in Tampa this week?<\/p>\n

The K-pop superstars will perform three sold-out shows at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday<\/a>. Saturday\u2019s show kicks off the group\u2019s first North American stop for their Arirang World Tour.<\/p>\n

Before you head out to the show, here\u2019s everything you need to know.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Parking lots open at 8:30 a.m. and will be filled with fans tailgating and swapping merch.<\/p>\n

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the show will start at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

There is no opener for the Arirang World Tour, and K-pop concerts are known to start promptly. We recommend heading to the stadium with plenty of time to park, then finding your gate and taking your seat, especially if you plan to purchase merchandise or exchange items with other fans.<\/p>\n

Raymond James Stadium is located at 4201 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa. For a parking map<\/a> and directions to each lot, visit Raymond James Stadium\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Download Waze for real-time traffic and road closure updates directly from the stadium.<\/p>\n

To park in a stadium lot, purchase parking ahead of time via ParkWhiz<\/a>. You can also opt to bring cash and hunt for a spot in the neighborhoods nearby.<\/p>\n

Plan to take an Uber, Lyft, taxi or bus? The drop-off and pick up area is located at Steinbrenner Field. Prepare for the possibility of surge pricing and extended wait times.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit raymondjamesstadium.com\/gettinghere<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Raymond James Stadium is an outdoor venue with limited shade available for tailgating fans and those waiting in long merch lines. Luckily, chances of rain are low this weekend and Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Prepare for hot daytime weather, with highs reaching the upper 80s on the weekend and low 90s by Tuesday. By the time the band takes the stage at night, fans can enjoy weather in the high 60s.<\/p>\n

Read the full weather forecast here.<\/a><\/p>\n

A giant merch trailer is already located at Tom McEwen Boulevard and Tampa Bay Boulevard and open daily through Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

This stretch of Tampa Bay Boulevard in front of Raymond James Stadium will remain closed to traffic until later in the day on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Friday and Monday, fans hoping to shop at the main merch booth on Tampa Bay Boulevard can park for free at Lot 6 starting at 9 a.m., entering from Himes Ave.<\/p>\n

On concert days (Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday), the main merchandise trailer will be open at the same time and location, with additional booths located at the Ford Gate, North Parking Lot and Gate B, according to a map posted on Raymond James Stadium\u2019s Facebook page.<\/a> Fans will not be able to park for free on these days.<\/p>\n

Offerings include clothing, vinyl records, license plate holders, car ornaments, light stick accessories (including batteries) and tour stamps. Expect possible long lines at both internal and external merch booths.<\/p>\n

Yes, official BTS light sticks are allowed. You can bring a lanyard or strap for the stick, but they cannot be inside a bag.<\/p>\n

Raymond James Stadium has a no-bag policy, and guests are only allowed to carry a single clutch purse no larger than 4.5\u2033 x 6.5.\u2033 These don\u2019t have to be clear as long as they meet the size requirements. Anything larger than that will not be allowed, clear or not.<\/p>\n

Fans will be allowed to bring freebies to pass out, such as bracelets or photo cards. Raymond James Stadium says these must \u201cfit in your hands, pockets, a 4.5\u2033 x 6.5\u2033 bag, or on your person.” Fans may also bring pre-ordered merch into the stadium, sans bag.<\/p>\n

Per stadium policy, banners or flags are allowed without sticks or poles as long as they are no larger than 11\u2033 x 15\u2033. Fans may also bring binoculars, empty spray bottles, blankets and towels, ponchos and sunscreen lotion (aerosol bottles are not permitted).<\/p>\n

Cameras longer than 12 inches (including the body, lens and filter) are not allowed.<\/p>\n

Storage lockers are available to rent on Tom McEwen Boulevard, south of the Suzuki Marine Gate.<\/p>\n

For medical or diaper bags, fans must fill out a special needs request form at least 72 hours before the event. The form can be found at raymondjamesstadium.com\/rjsada<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For a full list of stadium policies, visit raymondjamesstadium.com\/az-guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a growing list of events for BTS fans, from markets to meetups.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Tampa Bay Times Food Hub compiled a guide to essential Korean eateries to try around Tampa Bay<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ARIH, a new food and beverage brand developed with BTS, is hosting a pop-up at Raymond James Stadium from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on each of the concert days. Fans can sample the brand\u2019s noodles, \u201cpostbiotic energy drinks and dual-biotic sodas.\u201d The booth will also feature exclusive collectibles. Follow @taste_arih on Instagram for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Are you one of roughly 180,000 fans expected to attend the BTS concerts in Tampa this week? The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":245518,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[58778,108059,11708,135,1526,137,136],"class_list":{"0":"post-245517","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-bts","9":"tag-bts-concert","10":"tag-raymond-james-stadium","11":"tag-tampa","12":"tag-tampa-bay","13":"tag-tampa-headlines","14":"tag-tampa-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}