Lambeau parking goes cashless and other things to know about Packers Family Night
GREEN BAY – Parking at Lambeau Field will be cashless this year, beginning with Family Night.
The annual Green Bay Packers' practice in front of a live crowd at Lambeau Field is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5. The full Packers practice will culminate hours of family-centered events that begin when the parking lots open at 3:30 p.m.
The Packers stopped taking cash for everything else at Lambeau Field several years ago, but this is the first year that people who pay for parking on the day of an event will be required to use a debit or credit card
Parking in Lambeau Field lots for Family Night will be $5 per car on a first-come, first-served basis. Lot 1 on the east side of the stadium is again available to the public, after being closed last season for construction, but the Packers warn that there likely won't be enough parking for everyone coming to the stadium.
Street parking also will be available, especially north (that is, the Green Bay side) of Lombardi Avenue. Yard parking and private-lot parking might be hit or miss, although miss seems likely. With the Packers charging only $5 for parking, homeowners might not want to go through the trouble for a like amount.
Parking fees will benefit Meijer Simply Give and its mission to support hunger relief efforts.
Are tickets available?
As of Wednesday, tickets were available, but a Packers representative said sales were picking up again as the day gets close. Tickets are $10 each. Everyone, adult or child, must have a ticket. All tickets must be on mobile devices and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
What's happening and when?
Lambeau Field businesses, such as the Pro Shop, will open at 1:30 p.m. to ticketed fans only. Remember, parking lots don't open until 3:30 p.m. The stadium bowl opens at 5:30 p.m. Pre-practice activities will include youth football scrimmages and a dance team performance. The team will warm up at 7 p.m. and practice begin at 7:30 p.m. Practice ends at 9:20 p.m. and fireworks being about 9:30 p.m.
Family Fest at Titletown will run from 1:30 to 7 p.m., and include games, photo booths, music, artwork opportunities, virtual reality games, a kids' hail Mary challenge and more.
For added fun, a white out, fancam and thundersticks
Fans attending Family Night are encouraged to wear white attire for a Lambeau Field White Out. Packers FanCam will be available and fans can later download a photo of themselves at packers.fancam.com.
The night will include a thunderstick giveaway, and the new, larger videoboards will be in use. The boards are 220 feet wide and 48 feet tall, twice as wide as the previous videoboards.
Jerseys off their backs
After practice, the popular “Jerseys Off Our Backs” drawing will be held. Packers jerseys — all of which will have been worn by Packers players in the just-completed practice — will be given away in a random drawing.
What's the Lambeau Field carry-in policy?
The Packers carry-in policy limits items that can be brought into the stadium and how they can be carried.
On the no-go list are bags, backpacks, coolers, strollers, umbrellas, duffel bags, large purses, noisemakers of any kind, fanny packs, food and beverages, selfie sticks, video cameras and still photo cameras with lenses over 12 inches.
What is allowed are clear bags not exceeding 12-by-6-by-12 inches or a one-gallon, clear plastic bag, additional clothing, blankets, small clutch purses the size of a hand, small cameras, binoculars and cellphones if carried loosely or in an approved clear bag.
Fans are asked to go to gates noted on their tickets to make entrance into the stadium faster and more efficient.
Here's what you can't do ...
After 3:30 p.m., no stadium re-entry will be allowed. Once you're in, stay in. In this case, the stadium includes the atrium; it does not include the Pro Shop, where reentry will be allowed.
In case of inclement weather, no refunds will be issued unless all stadium activities — from 5:30 p.m. until the end of the fireworks show — are canceled.
Is the Family Night practice on TV?
Because this is the Green Bay Packers and not some run-of-the-mill NFL team, the Family Night practice will be broadcast on the Packers TV Network.
Stations broadcasting the event include WGBA-TV in Green Bay and WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, as well as WAOW-TV in Wausau, WKOW-TV in Madison, WXOW-TV in La Crosse, WQOW-TV in Eau Claire, KQDS-TV in Duluth-Superior and WLUC-TV in Escanaba-Marquette. The event will also be televised on KWWL-TV and WHBF-TV in Iowa; KATN-TV, KYUR-TV and KJUD-TV in Alaska; and KDLT in Sioux Falls, SD.
Fireworks display
Weather permitting, the night will end with a fireworks display. Although rain has been a not infrequent part of past Family Nights, the long-range forecast calls for sunny and hot on Aug. 5.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG/.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Lambeau parking goes cashless; what to know about Packers Family Night
