Four hours, five published lines
Raymond James Stadium opens its parking lots at 8 a.m. on Thursday, December 31, 2026 for the ReliaQuest Bowl. Kickoff is 12 p.m. The gap is four hours.
The venue event listing carries the day in five lines. Parking lots open at 8 a.m. The ticket office opens at 9 a.m. The bowl bash starts at 9 a.m. Gates open at 10:30 a.m. Kickoff is 12 p.m.
The bowl fan guide states that gates open 90 minutes before kickoff. Against a noon kickoff that reads 10:30 a.m. The same guide still prints a 2025 game time of 12:00 P.M., and the venue page carries both the 31 December date and the noon start for this edition.
Children three years old and younger enter free when they do not take up a seat. Every other patron needs a ticket. Re-entry is not permitted outside a medical emergency.
The overnight rule and the parking ladder
The bowl directions page prints the prices. Prepaid regular parking for cars and motorcycles is $35, prepaid premium $45 and prepaid RV $140. Game-day public parking for cars and motorcycles is $40 in lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 6D, 8, 9 and HCC. Game-day premium is $50. Buses, campers and limos pay $160 in Lot 8.
Every one of those transactions runs cashless. Overnight parking is not available on stadium property, and the stadium guide repeats the rule for every vehicle including campers and RVs.
Disabled parking sits in Lots A and C on a first-come basis.
An 8 a.m. window for the early arrival
This game puts a guest in Tampa four hours before the ball moves. A day-use booking covers that stretch. Dayuse listed 14 priced Tampa cards on 22 October 2026, from $66 for the stay at Quality Inn and Conference Center Tampa-Brandon.
Five cards open at 8 a.m. Quality Inn and Conference Center Tampa-Brandon lists $66 for the stay with the booking fee included, against an $87 nightly rate, with windows of 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Quality Inn & Suites Tampa near Fairgrounds and Casino lists $71, against $88, with 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Clarion Pointe Tampa-Brandon Near Fairgrounds and Casino lists $71, against $96, with 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sleep Inn near Busch Gardens - USF lists $100, against $127, with 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. TownePlace Suites by Marriott Tampa Westshore/Airport lists $139, against $235, at 2.18 miles straight-line, with 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. window spans the four hours before kickoff and ends two hours after it. A guest books that window, drops the luggage in the room and reaches the lot at 8 a.m.
Six more inside four miles
Six further cards open at 10 a.m. inside four miles and close at 4 p.m. or later. Distances are straight-line, measured from OpenStreetMap coordinates.
Four Points by Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport Westshore lists $112, against $180, at 1.93 miles, with 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Westshore Grand, A Tribute Portfolio lists $148, against $350, at 2.59 miles, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hotel Flor Tampa Downtown lists $148, against $240, at 3.19 miles, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Aloft Tampa Downtown lists $116, against $250, at 3.33 miles, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Westin Tampa Bay lists $156, against $250, at 3.85 miles, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Westin Tampa Waterside lists $138, against $330, at 3.96 miles, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Two more cards sit at St. Pete Beach, 22 miles out: RumFish Beach at TradeWinds and Island Grand at TradeWinds, each at $185 for a 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. window.
A 10 a.m. start misses the 8 a.m. lot opening. That window covers the two hours to kickoff, the gate and the walk to a seat.
The exit, the crowd and the concessions
The event page places rideshare drop-off and pick-up at Mass Transit. The A-Z guide puts the drop-off at the Mass Transit turnaround on the northwest side next to the pedestrian bridge, and says the pick-up point varies by event, naming the Steinbrenner Field lot across Dale Mabry.
The stadium runs 47 concession stands and nearly 600 points of sale for food and drink, and every one of them runs cashless.
The bowl counts 68,085 as its record crowd, set in 1990, and 2,131,452 in total attendance over 40 years.
Figures to carry into a booking
Lots at 8 a.m., bowl bash at 9 a.m., gates at 10:30 a.m., kickoff at 12 p.m. on Thursday, December 31, 2026. Prepaid car parking $35, game day $40, all cashless, overnight parking barred on stadium property. Rideshare at Mass Transit. An 8 a.m. day-room window from $66 with the booking fee included at Quality Inn and Conference Center Tampa-Brandon, or $71 at the two properties that name the fairgrounds.
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