Stadium guide

Tailgating guide · Starkville, MS

Tailgating at Davis Wade Stadium

14279 Old Highway 82 East, Starkville, MS 39759

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When you can set up

Tailgating areas open at 4 p.m. on the day before a game. You can't set up a personal tent before then, and can't hold spots with tents or supplies before 5 a.m. Friday.

Where to set up

  • The Junction is MSU's main game-day tailgating area. Southern Tradition Tailgating runs it; the students have their own area in the Amphitheater.
  • Public tailgating spots are first come, first served in areas like those in front of Dorman Hall, Barnes & Noble and the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building.
  • Set up only on designated grass areas and don't block sidewalks.

When lots open

  • Tailgating areas open at 4 p.m. on the day before a game. You can't set up a personal tent before then, and can't hold spots with tents or supplies before 5 a.m. Friday.
  • Picnic areas close at midnight every day.
  • Loading zones are open before game-day road closures, limited to 5 minutes with someone staying with the vehicle.

Rules

  • Small tents are fine in public areas: stakes no thicker than 1/4 inch and no longer than 6 inches, and no ropes. Larger tents have to be rented from Southern Tradition Tailgating.
  • Charcoal grills are allowed but the charcoal must be fully out. Fire pits are not allowed. Generators are allowed (battery inverters preferred).
  • No wheeled vehicles or trailers, and no hooking into university utilities.
  • In The Junction, only MSU-provided amplified music; TVs and radios are fine but large or elevated speakers are not.
  • Pets are not allowed on campus from noon the day before a game (service animals excepted). Campus is smoke-free, including vapes.

Shuttles, RVs & getting there

  • SMART buses are free on game days from on- and off-campus stops to Newell Grissom and Old Main Academic Center.
  • Public RV parking is at the Mississippi Horse Park south of campus (reservation required). Reserved hook-up RV lots 34 and 38 open Friday at 10 a.m., and lot 29 at the Scales Building.
  • Buses enter at Lee Blvd. and Hwy. 182 and park in front of Hilbun and Harned Halls.
Parking guide Where to park, shuttles, accessible parking and RVs

Rules change every season, so check the official policy before you go. Official game-day policy · Last checked October 30, 2026

Stock up nearby

Tailgate Supplies 0.7 mi

Cellars

Liquor, wine and beer store.

Starkville

Directions