HOUSTON — The Houston Astros are finally playing their first home game of the season on Friday!
Here are the things you need to know before heading to Minute Maid Park.
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Game Tickets
No. 1, have that ticket ready!
Whether you're one of the people with a sold-out seat for Friday’s home-opener or you’re planning a trip later this year, the Astros say you need a printed ticket or a mobile ticket in the MLB Ballpark app.
PDFs, screenshots and photos of tickets are a no go. And you can't print your ticket on site either!
Bringing Backpacks
No. 2, backpacks! It's a big change for Minute Maid Park this year.
You can no longer bring backpacks into the park. There are some exceptions: diaper bags, single-compartment drawstring bags and bags for medical purposes. But even those bags will have to be searched before you can come in.
Here the items fans will not be permitted to bring inside Minute Maid Park:
- Aerosol cans
- Alcohol
- Animals (except for service animals)
- Bags larger than 16" x 16" x 8"
- Banners or signs larger than 3' x 2' (Banners must be baseball-related and support teams and players, so long as they are in good taste. The Astros do not permit signs, posters or banners which are obscene, slanderous or in bad taste. No items are permitted to be affixed to signs and no signs may be affixed to the ballpark)
- Beverages & containers other than factory-sealed plastic water bottles 1 liter or less
- Cameras with lenses larger than 8 inches
- Clothing deemed obscene or indecent
- Coolers of any kind
- Costume masks
- Drones
- Fireworks
- Folding chairs
- Food in a portion larger than a clear, one-gallon size bag
- Hover boards and other personal recreational devices
- Inflatables (i.e. beach balls, basketballs, balloons)
- Illegal drugs
- Laser pointers
- Luggage
- Noise makers (whistles, horns, bells, etc.)
- Poles or sticks of any kind (i.e. flagpoles, broom handles, nets)
- Skateboards, roller skates, roller shoes, bicycles, wagons for children
- Tripods, bipods or monopods
- Weapons - including but not limited to firearms, knives, mace
- Any item deemed inappropriate or hazardous by ballpark security
Entering Minute Maid Park
No. 3, getting inline and into the ballpark should be quicker this year.
They've added more metal detectors to the entries and a new entrance near home plate!
More on gate information below:
- The Season Ticket Holder Gate opens 2 ½ hours before first pitch for all Monday through Friday games with access to the Main Concourse and Lower Seating Bowl only.
- All gates open two hours before first pitch for all Monday through Saturday games with access to the Main Concourse and Lower Seating Bowl only.
- All Levels and Clubs are accessible starting 1 ½ hours before first pitch.
- Gates for all Sunday games open 1 ½ hours before first pitch.
