Soldier Field Parking: Lots, Prices and Where to Actually Park

The cheapest option is McCormick Place 31st Street Lot B with the free shuttle, or the CTA at $2.50 a ride. The closest is the North Garage, sitting under the north end of the stadium, about two minutes from the gates. Typical event day price is $40 to $60 prepaid. Buy before you go: the three closest facilities do not take cash at the entrance.

Official Soldier Field parking lots and garages

There are six parking facilities on the Museum Campus itself, and the three closest ones (North Garage, Waldron Deck, South Lot) are prepaid only.

All of them are run by SP+, and all of them ban overnight parking and in-and-out privileges.

North Garage. 1356 S. Museum Campus Drive. Covered, underground, at the north end of the stadium, about two minutes from the north gates. Two ways in: an east entrance off Museum Campus Drive (first left after the loading dock) and a north entrance. Height limit is 8 feet 2 inches, so no high-top vans. Elevators at both ends, EV charging, restrooms on the fourth floor by the west elevators.

Waldron Deck. 458 E. 18th Drive. A two-tier deck at the south end, three or four minutes from the south and east gates and next to the Field Museum. Same 8 foot 2 inch height limit. Tailgating is allowed on the upper level only, and grills are banned on the lower level.

South Lot. 459 E. 18th Drive. A surface lot below the Waldron Deck, four or five minutes from the gates. No height restriction, which makes it the practical choice for a taller vehicle, though no oversized vehicles or trailers. Events only, not a daily lot.

East Museum Lot. East side of the Field Museum. Open on non-event days, and it doubles as the Transportation Center where buses board afterwards.

Adler Planetarium Lot. Entrance on Linn White Drive, west of Special Olympics Drive, out on Northerly Island. This is the cash lot. It takes RVs, campers and buses, tailgating is allowed, and it is a 12 to 15 minute walk in.

Burnham Harbor Lot. Entrance at Waldron Drive and Special Olympics Drive, open from November onward. Cash parking, tailgating allowed.

Off campus, the official overflow options are the 18th Street Lot (west of Lake Shore Drive at the 18th Street exit, cars only), McCormick Place 31st Street Lot B, Lakeside Garage Lot C, and the Millennium and Grant Park garages downtown.

What Soldier Field parking costs

Non-event parking runs $28 to $35, and event day parking on campus runs roughly $40 to $60 depending on the event.

Rates move with the event. A Tuesday afternoon at the Field Museum and a Sunday Bears game are two different prices in the same garage, sometimes double. Bears single game passes sit at the top of the range and sell through the official site, not at the gate. Check your specific event listing before you travel.

How to buy a parking pass in advance

Buy at SoldierFieldParking.com, which is the official SP+ site, and do it before event day.

The North Garage, Waldron Deck and South Lot take no cash at all. If you turn up without a pass, you are being waved on to the Adler Planetarium or Burnham Harbor lots, and those are first come, first served.

For Chicago Fire matches, passes are mobile only. No PDFs, no printed tickets. Add the pass to your phone wallet before you leave home, because reception on campus is patchy.

Bears games work differently. Season parking goes to season ticket holders through a random selection process and comes as a physical colored coupon that hangs from your rear-view mirror: blue or orange for the North Garage, white for the Waldron Deck, red for the South Lot, yellow for the East Museum Lot, purple for the Adler. A limited number of single game passes sell through the same site.

That is what "Soldier Field parking coupon" means in practice. It is a season pass, not a discount code, and there is no official promo code. Resellers like SpotHero and ParkWhiz sometimes list the same inventory cheaper.

Cheapest parking near Soldier Field

The cheapest realistic option on an event day is McCormick Place 31st Street Lot B, which includes a free shuttle to the stadium.

Shuttles start two hours before kickoff. Afterwards you board at the 18th Street shuttle turnaround, on the south side of 18th Street just west of Lake Shore Drive, and they run until two hours after the game. Tailgating is allowed there too, which the downtown garages do not offer.

The Millennium and Grant Park garages are the mid-price option and usually undercut the campus lots. No shuttle runs from any of them, so you are looking at a 25 to 30 minute walk south along the lakefront. On a warm evening that is pleasant. In February it is not.

Free street parking near Soldier Field on an event night does not exist, and this is the part most guides get wrong. The Soldier Field Event Permit Parking Program covers the South Loop from Roosevelt Road down to Cermak Road, and from Lake Shore Drive west to Clark Street. It runs for all Bears games and many other events. Park there without a Soldier Field Event Parking Pass, a Guest Pass, or a residential permit for that exact street, and you get ticketed or towed. The ordinance makes the whole zone a tow zone, and passes only go to residents and businesses inside it.

On a non-event day it is a different story. Metered street parking on Solidarity Drive and around the Museum Campus runs around $2 an hour, paid through the ParkChicago app or the pay boxes. Arrive before 10am and you will usually find something.

Soldier Field parking map

The official parking map lives on the Soldier Field website, on the Directions page under "Parking Map", and the Bears publish separate entrance and exit route diagrams for every individual lot.

The layout is simpler than the map makes it look. Soldier Field sits on a strip between Lake Shore Drive and the lake. The North Garage is buried under the north end, reached from Museum Campus Drive. The Waldron Deck and South Lot are stacked at the south end, both reached from 18th Drive. The East Museum Lot is north east by the Field Museum. The Adler and Burnham Harbor lots are further east on Northerly Island.

One instruction from the stadium is worth following: do not use Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps on event day. They do not account for road closures or lot-specific access routes, and they will send you into traffic that has been shut off. Follow the signs and the traffic aides instead.

Accessible parking

Every lot and garage on the Museum Campus has designated accessible spaces, but you still need a prepaid pass for the three closest facilities.

Drop-off is the circle drive on the east side of the stadium, on Museum Campus Drive outside Gate 14. Your placard or plate has to be visible and the person it is registered to has to be in the car. Afterwards, do not drive back to Gate 14. A courtesy cart runs from the drop-off out to your vehicle instead.

Without a prepaid pass, park at McCormick Place 31st Street Lot B and take the free ADA accessible shuttle, which drops at the Gate 14 turnaround.

If you drive a converted van, note that the North Garage and Waldron Deck both cap at 8 feet 2 inches. The South Lot has no height limit and does have accessible spaces. For questions, call SP+ on 312-235-7724.

Getting to Soldier Field without driving

Public transport is faster and cheaper than parking, and it skips the post-event queue to get back onto Lake Shore Drive. It is worth checking things on in Chicago this week while you are planning the trip, since a nearby event can change traffic and transit crowding on the day.

CTA fares are $2.50 by bus and $2.75 by train, with a 1-Day Pass at $6. No cash on buses or at turnstiles, so set up the Ventra app first. Take the Red, Orange or Green Line to Roosevelt, then walk three quarters of a mile east (15 to 20 minutes) or transfer to the #146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express, which drops at the stadium entrance on McFetridge Drive.

For Bears games, the #128 Soldier Field Express runs non-stop from Ogilvie and Union Station, starting two hours before kickoff and stopping 30 minutes after. The #130 Museum Campus route runs Memorial Day to Labor Day only. Afterwards, the #128 and #146 both board at the East Museum Lot, at McFetridge and Special Olympics Drive.

By Metra, the 18th Street station on the Electric Line is closest, a short walk from the south end, with Museum Campus/11th Street the other option. South Shore Line riders exit at the McCormick Place stop at 18th Street and walk one block north. A Zone 1 to 2 one-way is $4.25.

In summer, Shoreline Sightseeing runs a water taxi from Navy Pier to the Museum Campus dock every 20 to 30 minutes, late May to early September, with extra sailings for Bears games and some concerts. On game days you board in front of Harry Caray's Tavern.

Rideshare drop-off is the 18th Drive turnaround, west of the exit ramp. Pickup is only at Balbo and Columbus, north of the stadium. Taxis, limos and buses are banned from campus from 90 minutes after kickoff until an hour after the game.

What time do the lots open

Lots open about four hours before kickoff for Bears games and three hours before for Chicago Fire matches.

For concerts and other events, plan on roughly three hours before doors, but check your specific event listing because it moves.

Closing times are stricter than people expect. After a day game the lots close three hours after the final whistle. After a night game you are expected out immediately, and tailgating stops two hours after the game regardless. No overnight parking anywhere on the Museum Campus, including non-event days.

Parking for Bears games

Bears game parking on campus is season coupon territory, and single game passes are limited and sell out. Chicago Bears games at Soldier Field are the highest-demand event on the calendar for these lots, so plan and pay ahead.

Without one, your best options are McCormick Place 31st Street Lot B with the free shuttle, the 18th Street Lot, or Lakeside Garage Lot C. On-campus cash parking is limited to the Adler and Burnham Harbor lots, and Burnham Harbor does not open until November.

Tailgating is allowed on every Museum Campus surface lot, the upper level of the Waldron Deck, and McCormick Place Lots B, D and E. The rules that catch people out: one parking space per setup, no tents or canopies of any size, no fire pits, no deep fryers, no propane tanks over 19 lbs. Alcohol-free family friendly lots sit south of the Adler, at 18th Street Lot D, and at the 31st Street Beach Lot.

Parking for concerts

Concert parking works the same way as game parking, but rates are set per show and the biggest names cost the most.

A stadium-scale concert this summer is priced at $57 in the Waldron Deck, against a $28 non-event rate in the same deck. Lots typically open around three hours before doors, and the prepaid rule still applies to the North Garage, Waldron Deck and South Lot.

For a full breakdown by show, including which lots empty fastest afterwards, see our upcoming Soldier Field concert parking guide.

FAQ

How much is parking at Soldier Field? Non-event parking runs $28 to $35, depending on the facility and how long you stay. On event days, expect $40 to $60 prepaid in the campus lots and garages. Off-site options like McCormick Place Lot B or the downtown garages come in lower. Every event is priced individually, so check your event listing.

Where is the best place to park at Soldier Field? For speed in and out, the North Garage is closest to the north gates and takes about two minutes to walk. For price, McCormick Place 31st Street Lot B with the free shuttle wins. For a tall vehicle, the South Lot is the only campus option without a height restriction.

Can I pay cash for Soldier Field parking? Not at the three closest facilities. The North Garage, Waldron Deck and South Lot are prepaid only and will turn cash away at the entrance. Cash parking on the Museum Campus is limited to the Adler Planetarium lot and, from November, the Burnham Harbor lot, both first come first served.

Is there a Soldier Field parking coupon or promo code? Not in the discount sense. A Soldier Field parking coupon is the physical season pass Bears season ticket holders display on the rear-view mirror, color coded by lot. There is no official promo code program. Resellers such as SpotHero and ParkWhiz occasionally price the same spaces lower than the official site.

Where is the Waldron Deck at Soldier Field? The Waldron Deck is at 458 E. 18th Drive, at the south end of the stadium next to the Field Museum. It is a two-tier deck with an 8 foot 2 inch height limit, roughly three or four minutes from the south and east gates. Tailgating is allowed on the upper level only.

What time do Soldier Field parking lots open? Roughly four hours before kickoff for Bears games and three hours for Chicago Fire matches. Concerts usually open lots about three hours before doors. Lots close three hours after a day game, immediately after a night game, and there is no overnight parking anywhere on the Museum Campus.

Is there handicap parking at Soldier Field? Yes. Every campus lot and garage has designated accessible spaces, though a prepaid pass is still required for the North Garage, Waldron Deck and South Lot. Drop-off is at the Gate 14 circle drive on Museum Campus Drive, with a courtesy cart running back to your vehicle afterwards.

Can I park on the street near Soldier Field? Not on event days. The South Loop from Roosevelt to Cermak and from Lake Shore Drive to Clark is a permit-only tow zone during Bears games and many other events. On non-event days, metered street parking around the Museum Campus runs about $2 an hour through the ParkChicago app.