Kroger Field

Kroger Field is at 1540 University Drive, southeast of central campus and roughly three miles from downtown Lexington. Interstate 64/75, New Circle Road and major streets such as Nicholasville Road, Tates Creek Road and Alumni Drive serve the area. Route to the assigned parking entrance because the permit determines the correct approach.

Driving & Parking

• Driving
  I-64 and I-75 share a corridor north and east of Lexington, while New Circle Road loops around the city. Nicholasville Road is the most obvious approach and often the most congested. Use UK’s Waze link for the particular lot and follow traffic officers.
• Parking
  The blue, red, green, orange and purple areas surrounding Kroger Field are predominantly permit-controlled. Digital passes are scanned at entry and should be saved to a mobile wallet before leaving home.
• Parking
  Non-permit parking is available first-come, first-served along designated portions of Cooper Drive beginning at noon Friday before a game. Parking Structures 2 and 6 provide additional public inventory; confirm event pricing and access route.
• Parking
  A single-game accessible lot at Woodland and Columbia avenues near William T. Young Library operates first-come, first-served. The listed 2025 price was $50 by card. When full, guests are directed to Structures 2 or 6.
• Parking
  An accessible shuttle from the reserved public lot begins three hours before kickoff, drops near Gate 6 and returns from the start of the fourth quarter until one hour after the game. Limited-mobility golf carts connect Gate 6 with other gates.
• Parking
  Tow-behind trailers in paved reserved lots require their own permit. Unpermitted trailers are directed to available grass areas. Motorcycles also need a valid permit in reserved lots.
• Parking
  Postgame traffic is assigned by lot, and the Gate 12 area closes while the team returns. Do not expect to circle the stadium to choose a preferred exit.

Public Transit

• Lextran operates the UK Football Express from the Virginia Avenue area. The current listed fare is $1 per person each way, with exact change appreciated.
• Service begins two hours before kickoff and inbound operation ends 30 minutes after kickoff. Confirm the postgame boarding point and final departure window when exiting.
• The single-game accessible shuttle near William T. Young Library is separate and begins three hours before kickoff. It is the better option for a patron who cannot manage the walk from general public parking.
• Ordinary Lextran routes serve campus and downtown, but football closures can alter stops. Use the dedicated express when offered rather than assuming a regular bus will reach the stadium perimeter.

Rideshare (Uber/Lyft)

• Rideshare drivers should use an official or clearly legal drop point outside the permitted parking loops. University Drive and Cooper Drive become saturated, so a short walk from the campus edge is usually faster.
• After the game, walk away from Gate 12 and the team-return route before requesting a car. A library, campus building or business makes a more reliable pin than a color-coded parking field.
• Confirm the license plate and driver identity. Crowds wearing identical blue clothing make vague descriptions ineffective, especially after a night game.
• Staying downtown offers restaurants while traffic clears, but it is not an easy walk to Kroger Field. A booked shuttle or delayed rideshare is preferable to attempting the full distance beside busy roads.

Arrive at least three hours early. The Cat Walk begins two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff outside Gate 1, followed by a pregame concert on the plaza near Gate 12. Gates normally open 90 minutes before the game, giving enough time to explore the concourse before the band’s field show.

Tailgating

• Kroger Field’s huge surrounding lots are the heart of Kentucky tailgating. Reserved-pass holders set up immediately behind their vehicles; equipment may not consume an adjacent parking space or block travel lanes.
• Cooper Drive is the principal non-permit tailgating area, opening at noon on Fridays before games on a first-come basis. Follow the separately published setup instructions for this zone.
• Kentucky’s 2026 season-long setup policy permits approved tents and trailers to be staged beginning August 8. Every item left between games must carry a name, phone number and email address; untagged or premature setups can be removed.
• Stakes deeper than four inches require prior approval, and fans should call before staking to protect buried utilities. Never stake near tree roots.
• Towable equipment, industrial cookers, generators and open flames are subject to permits and fire rules. Ordinary pop-up tents are the simplest compliant choice.
• Turnkey tailgates are sold through Kentucky’s official operator. Packages reduce equipment work, but parking may be a separate purchase.
• Pets other than service dogs are prohibited in Kroger Field and the surrounding athletics parking and tailgating areas. Plan pet care before arriving.

Pregame Bars & Restaurants

• KSBar and Grille
  A Kentucky-themed sports bar on South Broadway with abundant televisions, pub food and a strong Big Blue Nation atmosphere. It is closer to campus than downtown but still requires transportation to the stadium.
• Winchell’s
  A Southland Drive institution serving breakfast, burgers, wings and Kentucky comfort food in a sports-bar setting. It opens early and is a practical game-morning meal.
• Blue Door Smokehouse
  A small Lexington barbecue favorite known for brisket, ribs and smoked sausage. It often sells out, making Friday lunch safer than a tightly timed pregame visit.
• Bourbon n’ Toulouse
  A casual Cajun restaurant with large portions of étouffée, jambalaya and gumbo. It is inexpensive, fast and east of downtown, though not within a comfortable stadium walk.
• Ramsey’s Diner
  A local staple for meat-and-three plates, hot browns, vegetables and pies. Multiple locations reduce pressure, but check which is most convenient to the weekend itinerary.
• The Local Taco
  Near campus on South Limestone, this counter-service restaurant serves tacos and Southern-Mexican combinations. It is useful for groups and closer to student activity than the parking-lot tailgates.
• Malone’s
  The Lexington steakhouse is known for steaks, sushi and large portions. Reserve for Friday or Sunday; it is not a quick walk-up football meal.
• Goodfellas Distillery
  In the Distillery District, Goodfellas combines pizza, bourbon and a large patio. The district makes a strong postgame destination once stadium traffic eases.

• The Cat Walk
  Two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff, the team arrives outside Gate 1 and moves along Talbott Todd Way between Kroger Field and the football facilities. Fans line both sides while leaving a broad center lane.
• Gate 12 concert
  After the Cat Walk, live music begins on the plaza outside Gate 12. Players later enter the stadium in smaller groups, so the plaza stays active through the final pregame hour.
• “C-A-T-S, Cats, Cats, Cats!”
  Kentucky’s simplest signature chant punctuates scores, defensive stands and band numbers. It is easy for visitors to learn and spreads around the enclosed bowl.
• Kentucky Wildcat and Scratch
  The school uses Wildcat mascots in blue-and-white athletics gear. Mascot appearances, cheerleaders and dance teams center on the pregame plazas and sidelines.
• The Wildcat Marching Band
  The band performs “On, On, U of K,” “Kentucky Fight” and the state song “My Old Kentucky Home.” Be seated before the team entrance to hear the full pregame sequence.
• Blue and white themes
  Kentucky schedules white-outs, blue-outs, checkerboard games and “Night Ops” presentations. Check the promotional calendar because coordinated clothing materially changes the look of the bowl.
• LED light shows
  Programmable lighting installed for 2024 turns night-game entrances, touchdowns and fourth-quarter breaks into blue-and-white sequences synchronized with the videoboards.

• C. M. Newton Grounds
  The playing field honors the former Kentucky athletic director who helped modernize the department and integrate its athletics program. The designation remained when the stadium became Kroger Field.
• Chairs of Honor
  Four empty black seats on the upper concourse honor service members who died, are prisoners of war or missing in action, and those currently serving. Plaques explain the memorial.
• Symmetrical bowl
  Kroger Field’s enclosed oval and four corner suite towers create unusually balanced geometry. The design makes navigation intuitive compared with older, incrementally expanded stadiums.
• Blue exterior facade
  The 2015 renovation wrapped the concrete structure in blue-accented metal and glass, creating recognizable gates and a more finished campus presence.
• Two end-zone videoboards
  Large boards installed for 2022, paired with upgraded ribbon displays, make replays visible from almost every seat.
• Former experimental farmland
  The stadium and parking footprint occupy 86 acres once used by the university’s agricultural experiment station, explaining the expansive lots around the venue.
• Wildcat Coal Lodge and football complex
  Modern team facilities beside the stadium frame the Cat Walk route and concentrate Kentucky football operations in one district.

History & Notable Moments

• Kentucky left Stoll Field/McLean Stadium for a new $12 million, 57,800-seat home in 1973. The Wildcats beat Virginia Tech 31–26 in the September 15 opener behind quarterback Ernie Lewis.
• End-zone additions in 1999 enclosed the stadium, added 40 suites and lifted capacity above 67,000. The field received C. M. Newton’s name in 2001.
• Arkansas defeated Kentucky 71–63 in seven overtimes in 2003, tying the NCAA record for the longest football game at the time.
• Kentucky upset eventual national champion No. 1 LSU 43–37 in three overtimes in 2007, producing one of the venue’s most famous field celebrations.
• The Wildcats ended a 26-game losing streak to Tennessee with a 10–7 victory in 2011 despite using receiver Matt Roark at quarterback.
• A $126 million renovation completed in 2015 reduced capacity while adding clubs, suites, loge seats, a new press box, wider concourses, restrooms and a blue exterior. The LEED Silver project established the current approximately 61,000-seat form.
• Commonwealth Stadium became Kroger Field in 2017. Kentucky’s 20–13 win over No. 10 Florida in 2021 was its first home victory over the Gators since 1986.
• New videoboards arrived in 2022, Hellas Matrix Helix synthetic turf in 2023 and programmable lights in 2024. Planned premium projects are not yet treated as completed seating.

Kroger Field’s symmetry makes sightlines consistent and navigation relatively simple. Lower sideline rows feel close but can be blocked by bench personnel; higher lower-bowl and front upper-deck rows provide the best full-field perspective. The north and west sides generally gain shade first, while east-side seats face strong afternoon sun.

• Lower sidelines
  Mid-height rows between the 20s are the best all-purpose choice. Chairback inventory is limited, and most standard seating is aluminum bench.
• End zones
  End-zone seats provide excellent views of running lanes and direct looks at a videoboard. The east end contains the loud general-admission student section.
• Student seating
  Sections 34–40 in the lower east end zone are general-admission student seating, with possible upper-level overflow. Students enter Gate 1 and receive wristbands, so adjacent concourses are busiest early.
• Premium seating
  Woodford Reserve Club, Central Bank Field Club, loge boxes, suites and field-level hospitality provide varying combinations of padded seats, indoor lounges, food and private restrooms.
• Chairbacks
  Personal chairbacks up to 18 inches wide are permitted. Limited game rentals are offered after gates open at lower and upper concourse locations near Gates 1, 4 and 9.
• Accessibility
  Wheelchair and companion locations, elevators and accessible restrooms serve multiple levels. Contact the ticket office before gameday for seating assistance rather than relying on a gate exchange.

Kroger Field is not fully cashless, although cards are preferred and accepted at most stands. A new Compass Group partnership began in July 2026 with more affordable core items, local restaurant participation and updated menus planned in phases. Because the lineup is changing, use the current concessions map.

• Kentucky Proud items
  Stands feature products and recipes connected to Kentucky producers. These are the most locally specific choices and may be located only on selected concourses.
• New local concepts
  The 2026 partnership is intended to bring Lexington and Kentucky restaurants into the stadium alongside signature dishes and collectible cups. Availability will develop during the season.
• Core fare
  Hot dogs, burgers, nachos, popcorn, pretzels, candy and bottled drinks are distributed throughout both levels.
• Alcohol
  Beer and seltzer are sold at designated points. Identification, a two-drink transaction limit and a late-game cutoff apply; no outside alcohol or containers may enter.
• Payment
  Bring a card even though cash may be accepted at some locations. Mobile payment and shorter specialty queues can be faster during peak periods.
• Dietary needs
  Ask the stand manager about ingredients and shared preparation. Contact guest services in advance when a medical allergy requires more than menu guidance.

• Each fan may carry one clear bag no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches or one clear one-gallon resealable bag, plus one small clutch no larger than 4.5 by 6.5 inches.
• The approved bag must be transparent from top to bottom; trim up to two inches is generally acceptable. Clear backpacks and clear drawstring bags are specifically prohibited despite their transparency.
• Medically necessary equipment is allowed after screening at Gates 1.5, 3.5 or 9.5. Diaper bags are not a medical exception; carry childcare supplies in an approved clear bag.
• Personal chairbacks up to 18 inches wide and small collapsible strollers that fit under a seat are permitted after inspection. Outside food and drinks, tobacco, hard-shell koozies, artificial noisemakers, umbrellas, weapons and selfie sticks are prohibited.
• Unattended bags left outside the stadium are disposed of. Leave noncompliant belongings in the vehicle and use a no-bag approach when possible for faster screening.