Tailgater Concierge: Kansas State University

It’s time to go wild for the Wildcats! Football season is almost here and the time to make plans is now. Whether you need a tailgating service at Bill Snyder Family Stadium or want to do all of the planning yourself, the key word there is “planning.” Tailgating at Bill Snyder Family Stadium is a ton of fun, so let’s get to the details!

2022 Kansas State University Wildcats Football Schedule

Take a look at the home games below — they’re your opportunity for tailgating at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Can you tailgate at the other games? Sure, if you’re in the mood for a road trip! But those aren’t covered here.

Saturday, Sep. 3: South Dakota Coyotes, Manhattan, KS
Saturday, Sep. 10: Missouri Tigers, Manhattan, KS
Saturday, Sep. 17: Tulane Green Wave, Manhattan, KS
Saturday, Sep. 24: Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK
Saturday, Oct. 1: Texas Tech Red Raiders, Manhattan, KS
Saturday, Oct. 8: Iowa State Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA
Saturday, Oct. 15: OFF
Saturday, Oct. 22: TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Saturday, Oct. 29: Oklahoma State Cowboys, Manhattan, KS
Saturday, Nov. 5: Texas Longhorns, Manhattan, KS
Saturday, Nov. 12: Baylor Bears at McLane Stadium, Waco, TX
Saturday, Nov. 19: West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV
Saturday, Nov. 26: Kansas Jayhawks, Manhattan, KS

And don’t forget about the Big 12 Championship on Saturday, December 3rd! It takes place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.

Getting to the Game

We don’t blame some people for getting confused when they find out the stadium is in Manhattan. However, it’s Manhattan, Kansas.

Driving

Tailgating at Bill Snyder Family Stadium can be a fun road trip. It’s on the Kansas State University Campus, and you can get to it by taking Highway 24, which is Turtle Creek Blvd while it runs north and south, and East Poyntz Ave south of McCall Rd.

Highway 24 looks like a big V, and the bottom of that V is in Manhattan, KS. If you’re heading south on 24, exit at Marlatt Ave and go west, then turn left to go south on Denison Ave. Turn right on Kimball Ave to go west again, and you’ll see the stadium on your left.

Flying

The bad news is the nearest international airport is the Kansas City International Airport, which is a two-hour drive. The good news is Manhattan Regional Airport is 16 minutes away. That airport is small, but they do take American Eagle flights.

Ridesharing

If you’re taking Uber, Lyft, a taxi, or even a limo, you need to use one of the designated ridesharing zones. They’ll be marked with flags at the Gate 3 drive lane in the West lot and the center drive lane in the East lot. Drop offs can continue through pregame and start staging for pickups during postgame.

Parking

The lots open five hours before kickoff. As for getting passes, here’s how it works.

Ahearn Fund Donor Parking

To get the best parking spots in the East and West stadium lots, you have to be a donor to the Ahearn Fund. This, of course, is the funding arm that provides scholarships.

If you’re a Victory Club level donor ($1,000 or more), you have the right to purchase Reserved parking passes. If you’re a Royal Purple Club level donor ($500 or more), you have the honor of spending more money on a VIP parking pass. The VIP lots are on the east side of the stadium in lot 9 near the Intercollegiate Rowing Center.

If you have a Reserved spot through your Victory Club level donations, the parking directors will tell Jeeves where he can leave your Bentley. In all seriousness, though, they will direct you to your space. They also limit how many parking spots you can buy based on how many season tickets you purchased:

1 to 4 tickets entitle you to 1 parking pass
5 to 8 tickets entitle you to 2 parking passes
9 to 12 tickets entitle you to 3 parking passes

If you’re buying more than 12 season tickets at a time, do share the video from your next private space flight. Also, you can probably afford to secure a tailgating service at Bill Snyder Family Stadium to do all of the setup for you. Actually, you don’t have to be rich to afford that. But it will make you feel rich.

To get your Reserved or VIP passes, contact the Ahearn Fund at 888-232-9074 or [email protected].

Public Parking

Public parking costs $20. For non-donors, non-reserved parking can be found in the grassy area on the east side of the stadium. This area is officially lot 9. The paved lot by the Chester Peters Recreation Center and satellite lots around the stadium are also available.

You can park in pretty much any paved lots on campus that aren’t the East and West stadium lots. Now, the spaces restrict vehicle size to 21 feet long and 8 feet, 6 inches wide. Got a pull-behind trailer or smoker? Too bad.

RV Parking

All RVs, buses, and camper trailers have to park in the designated spaces in the East and West stadium lots. They can’t be more than 55 feet long and 11 feet, 6 inches wide.

Charter Bus Parking

If you got fancy and rented a charter bus, you can park in the reserved charter bus spots in the East stadium lot for $30.

University Satellite Lots

Even more parking is available in the Agronomy Lot, the Grain Science Center Lot, the Foundation and Equestrian Center Lots, the Vet Med Complex Lots, the Chester Peters Rec Center South Lot, and the Campus Lots.

Construction Constraints

The school started construction on a new Volleyball Arena and Olympic Training Center at the end of 2021, and the projected completion date is the fall of this year. This means that some changes are coming up for parking:

Some of the spots in the first lane of the West lot will be removed for sidewalks
The East lot is being reconfigured
Lot 9 grass parking will be paved and joined with the existing East Reserved lot
VIP parking will be in front of the Chester E. Peters Recreational Complex
General admission parking will still be available for satellite lots

If you’re concerned about getting the absolute latest info, contact the Ahearn Fund.

How to Tailgate at Bill Snyder Family Stadium

Tailgating at Bill Snyder Family Stadium is a tradition. But part of the process is knowing where to tailgate at Bill Snyder Family Stadium so you don’t make them mad. Stay in the designated lots and don’t try to save spots for anyone.

You want to tailgate next to someone else? Arrive at the same time and park next to each other or reserve spots. Other than that, tailgate in the parking lots to your heart’s content.

What about the rules for tailgating at Bill Snyder Family Stadium? Surely there are a few of those, right?

Don’t put your tailgating stuff in the Emergency Access Lane
No wood fires or campfires
Extinguish your coals and put them in the “Hot Coals” barrels
No football or frisbee games (at least none that require a “long toss”)
Canopies in non-windy conditions only
No bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, or scooters (motorized or not)
No unauthorized golf carts
Portable generators are fine if they’re quiet
No underage drinking
Alcoholic beverages for personal consumption only
No glass containers
Alcohol in unmarked cups or containers only
No intoxication

If you hired a tailgating service at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, these rules will be explained to you in detail, and some won’t even require your input (like handling a canopy). The tailgate equipment rental company doesn’t want to get in trouble any more than you do, so they know the rules.

Hotels

Because you relied on a tailgating service at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, you have the option of hopping in your car and getting the heck out of there. You’ll probably feel like crashing afterward, even with said tailgating service at Bill Snyder Family Stadium handling all of the equipment for you. So book a hotel room!

There’s nothing more luxurious than being able to leave a tailgate and crash on a bed that’s not yours.

Wrap-Up!

If you have any other suggestions for tailgating at Kansas State University, be sure to leave them in the comments below for other fans to see! Or if you have any questions, throw them down there too so our community can help.

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Tailgate On!
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