The Raiders are planning to level up the tailgating experience at Allegiant Stadium this NFL season by adding new premium spaces for pregame festivities.
Four mobile, two-story, climate-controlled party trailers will be added to Lot B of Allegiant Stadium for all Raiders home games and select other large events at the $2 billion facility.
Each space will feature all-inclusive food and beverages, games, such as ring toss and cornhole, a 55-inch 4K HDTV for fans to watch the early slate of games, a 208-square-foot top deck, a Bluetooth soundbar and a retractable awning to provide shade.
‘People spend that kind of money on one bottle of tequila’
Premium tailgate packages start at $20,000 per game, with each tailgating space able to fit up to 20 people. The pricing might be a shock to some fans, but Panos Pappas, Raiders vice president of premium sales and service, said there’s a market for such experiences, especially in Las Vegas.
“People spend that kind of money on one bottle of tequila on the Strip on a Saturday night,” Pappas said. “Is it expensive? Sure it is. But there’s a premium that comes with it. You’re getting the full experience with it. Is it for everybody? It could be. You get all your friends together and you all chip in when you get there.”
Pappas said adding the premium tailgating space, which he likened to a “party shack” was something fans have requested over the years. Those looking to celebrate a birthday, a work outing, a holiday party or other special occasions will be among those likely to book a premium tailgate space, along with the team’s luxury seat clientele.
Raider Nation is already known for its tailgating culture, with the majority of fans congregating in Lot J of Allegiant Stadium before games. With premium options a big focus at the stadium, the Raiders listened to the fans and are adding the new spaces, which amounts to a tailgating suite, Pappas said.
“It came from the fans,” he said Thursday at Allegiant Stadium. “There’s been a demand. There has been people calling our service team, our sales team and we’ve been talking about it for a couple of years and we thought it was something that we should probably do.”
The convenience of not having to lug tailgating supplies such as grills, chairs and tables to a game; having air conditioning for those sweltering during early season games; and having catering food and beverages is what Pappas thinks will be attractive to customers.
The space can seat 20 fans and features private hospitality, all-inclusive packages in a climate-controlled environment.
‘It’s part of our DNA’
The tailgating area adds to the stadium’s upscale offerings including 144 suites, the Modelo Cantina Club and Twitch lounge spaces, and the Wynn Field Club, located just behind the facility’s north end zone.
The Raiders have continued to add amenities to the stadium since its 2020 opening, with 16 new club suites being unveiled just before last season. Offering a premium tailgating option for fans made sense.
“Raider Nation tailgates really hard,” Pappas said. “It’s part of our DNA, it’s part of our culture and part of what we love about the Raiders.”
Lot B, located on the stadium’s north end, is a perfect site to add to the tailgating spaces, because the space was there and its location in relation to the Hacienda Avenue bridge.
“All four will be lined up off of Hacienda bridge so everybody that walks across the bridge, which is a gigantic amount of people that attend the games, will see it and it kind of makes it fun,” Pappas said. “When the idea was being developed, I don’t know if there was another option, it had to be this.”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.