Tailgating is a time-honored tradition. But which teams throw the best pre-game parties? Discover the top tailgate spots across the NFL’s biggest stadiums.
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Tailgating: the ultimate pre-game party, and a deeply beloved part of being an NFL fan. Whether you’re grabbing some tasty food before the big match, bonding with your fellow fans, or just soaking in the excitement and atmosphere before the game, tailgating is one of the NFL’s most time-honored traditions.
Bringing together fans from all walks of life, and creating friendships and camaraderie for each team’s supporters, a tailgate is about much more than the food and drink… even though the food can be pretty damn tasty.
But which teams have the top tailgating traditions, and which stadiums throw the best pre-game parties? We’ve taken a dive into the data to find out the top tailgate spots across the NFL’s biggest teams.
Most popular tailgaters
The top tailgating NFL fanbase, according to all of the metrics we looked at, is none other than New York’s Buffalo Bills. While the Bills have yet to return to the Super Bowl since the 90s, this much-loved team can at least claim the title of having the top tailgate parties in the league. The Bills Mafia are happy to welcome regulars as well as out-of-towners – just watch out for the infamous table-jumping at a Bills tailgate, where excitable fans literally hurl themselves at folding tables.
The table-smashing tradition might be part of why tailgating at a Bills game is so widely talked about – in fact, the Bills comfortably have the highest search volume for their tailgates, with 34,420 searches in the last year. Bills fans were also happy to post about their tailgating, with 9,300 social media posts, and an overall sentiment analysis score of 21.
Coming in second are reigning Superbowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs. With the highest number of social media posts and some of the highest search volume, tailgating at Arrowhead is a beloved tradition, with a warm Midwest welcome awaiting out-of-state fans and plenty of delicious barbecue to be found.
In third place, we find the Dallas Cowboys. Join the Cowboys Tailgate Nation at AT&T Stadium, and enjoy a memorable experience – after all, they say everything is bigger in Texas! The Cowboys boast the second-highest number of searches, with 20,640 in the last year. Some fans recommend Bill Bates’ Ultimate Tailgate Party, but you’ll be sure of a warm welcome no matter where you choose to tailgate.
At the bottom of our list, we find the Los Angeles Chargers – largely down to the smaller number of social media posts, lack of sentiment online, and smaller numbers of searches – just 4,110 in the last year, perhaps because there’s so many other things to see and do for first-time potential tailgaters visiting LA.
Top tailgating stadiums
But forget the teams – which stadium offers the best tailgating experience for fans? If you’re looking for a new top spot for a really memorable tailgate, here are a few of the stadiums to tick off your bucket list.
The top spot to try tailgating is the Acrisure Stadium, home to the Pittsburgh Steelers. There’s a low average ticket price, but the parking lot is open for 5 hours, with a positive sentiment of 63% – one of the highest on our list. There are also positive reviews for tailgates and food at the Acrisure, and the stadium itself has an average review of 4.5.
In second and third place, we find both the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium and the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, in line with their high rankings in the tailgate party index. In particular, the Arrowhead has strong reviews for tailgates and food – and as you’d expect from the barbecue capital of the world, you’ll find BBQ aplenty at a KC tailgate party, with regular tailgaters often found competing to prove that they have the best brisket, burnt ends, and barbecue sauce.
The Washington Commander’s home stadium of Commanders Field doesn’t fare quite as well in the rankings – perhaps hankered by long-term perceptions that it’s one of the worst in the league, but a tailgate party at what was once FedEx Field is sure to sill bring the positive energy, with Tailgate Ted’s famous party offering a good time for diehard fans as well as first-time visitors.
Tailgating is one of the best ways to make the most of the hours before a game. Whether you love your team’s traditions or you’re keen to tick off some bucket-list visits at away games, we’re sure you’ll find a warm welcome and some delicious food to prepare you for a big game.
And while you’re preparing for your best-ever tailgating party, make sure you check out our sports betting for some of the best sports betting options. And if you’re interested in more NFL stats, check out our blog for all the insider knowledge on your favorite team.
Methodology
To find out which team’s fans have the best tailgate parties, we used social listening service Brandwatch and Google Keyword Planner to monitor sentiment and search interest between July 2023 and July 2024. We looked at the number of social media posts for “Team + Tailgate” and the percentage of social media posts that were ‘joyful’, according to Brandwatch, as well as the number of searches for “Team + Tailgate”, according to Google Keyword Planner.
To work out which stadiums have the best atmosphere for tailgating, we looked at a set of factors for all 30 NFL stadiums. Again, looking at online sentiment, we included the number of social media posts for “Stadium + Tailgate”, and the percentage of social media posts that are ‘joyful’, according to Brandwatch.
When it comes to the optimum tailgating experience, we then looked at the average price of a ticket for a NFL game at each stadium (in the case of a stadium hosting multiple teams, an average price was used), as well as the average monthly rainfall in each city between Sept-Jan, in millimeters, and the number of hours the parking lot is open on an NFL game day before kick-off to make sure there’s plenty of time for tailgating.
We also looked at TripAdvisor reviews, including the average review score for each stadium, the number of 3-star and above reviews that include the word “Tailgate”, and the number of 4-star and above reviews that include the word “Food”, according to TripAdvisor.