Upcoming events at Petco Park
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Shade side or home side? Start here
Two questions settle most Petco Park purchases. For a day game, sit on the third-base side: the batter faces due north, so the afternoon sun drops behind the third-base grandstand and those lower sections fall into shade first. For a night game, sun stops mattering, and the first-base side wins if you want to be near the Padres, who use the first-base dugout.
The San Diego Padres play in this uncovered, 39,860-seat park in the East Village, a short walk from the Gaslamp Quarter. Expect roughly 81 home dates between the opener (late March or early April) and the final week of September, with October baseball when the team earns it, and the ballpark adds stadium concerts, boxing, wrestling and other special events around the schedule.
- Overall view: field level between the dugouts.
- Day-game comfort: third-base side, or back rows under the deck above.
- View for less: upper deck behind home plate.
- Kids and casual fans: Gallagher Square beyond the outfield.
Field, middle and upper decks
Three tiers of seats curl around the infield, every row turned toward the mound, so corner seats still face the play. The section number tells you the tier: 100s for field level, 200s for the middle tier, 300s for the upper deck. The team's own guide uses that scheme, placing family restrooms at 109, 202, 219, 310 and 311.
- Field level (100s): runs from behind the plate down both foul lines into the outfield, with premium club seats directly behind home. The Padres sit in the first-base dugout and visitors in the third-base dugout.
- Middle tier (200s): closer than the upper deck, and its back rows are covered by the deck above, which helps on a bright afternoon.
- Upper deck (300s): the top rows, where the outfield frames downtown, the bay and Balboa Park.
Western Metal, Gallagher Square and the outfield
The outfield is where Petco Park differs most from other parks, and it offers ticket types you will not find elsewhere.
- The Western Metal building: a brick warehouse from 1909 that the designers saved and wrapped into the left-field corner. One corner of it literally serves as the foul pole, and inside are suites, a restaurant, a team store and rooftop seating that suits groups.
- Gallagher Square: the elevated lawn past the outfield wall that many locals still call the Park at the Park. Standing-room tickets get you onto it with no assigned spot, and on non-game days it is simply a city park, complete with a playground, a small Wiffle ball diamond, a dog area and picnic tables.
- Right-center social deck: a two-story hangout with counters to lean on and stools at the rail, built for mingling more than for nine innings in one seat.
Seat picks by situation
- Watching pitch location: field level between the dugouts. The infield, the plate and the outfield landmarks fit in one view.
- Near the Padres: the first-base side, behind and past the home dugout.
- A sunny afternoon: third-base side lower sections, or the covered back rows of the lower tiers.
- Budget with a view: the 300s behind the plate. You are up high, yet you look straight down the pitcher-batter line with water on the horizon.
- Families: Gallagher Square, where children run on the grass and parents keep one eye on the inning.
- Groups: the Western Metal rooftop and the outfield deck spaces.
Seats with a catch
- First base and right field at a day game: these fans look toward the low afternoon sun. At night, no problem; at 1 p.m. in summer, hot and bright.
- Deep field-level outfield corners: near the fence, a long way from home plate; expect to check the scoreboard for the count.
- Standing room at a sellout: the berm is unreserved and crowded early.
For concerts, the stage location changes with the tour, so look at the event map before buying. A floor ticket's value depends on how near the stage it is, and the lower bowl straight across from it often shows more than the back of the floor. The stadium's concert history runs from the Rolling Stones, who played the first show in 2005, through Madonna and Taylor Swift to Bad Bunny, who in 2022 became the first artist to sell out two consecutive nights at the ballpark.
Trolley, train and parking
Leave the car at the hotel if you can. Trolley tracks hug the south edge of the ballpark, with the 12th and Imperial Transit Center as the stop. Riding Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner or the Coaster? Get off at Santa Fe Depot and walk roughly a mile. Many Gaslamp hotels sit a few blocks away.
- Lots: ACE Parking runs the team's nearby options, among them Tailgate Park, the Padres Parkade and the Lexus Premier Lot, and none takes cash.
- Buy ahead: the team recommends advance purchase; accessible spaces go first come, first served.
- Free shuttle: loops from Tailgate Park, the MTS Garage and the Padres Parkade to the gates, starting two hours ahead of first pitch and ending half an hour after the game.
When the place is full, riding the trolley home tends to be faster than sitting in downtown traffic. For current rates and lot rules, see the Padres ballpark guide before you go.
Gate rules for 2026
For 2026, the ballpark admits a clear plastic bag with a single compartment (12 by 6 by 12 inches at most) and, alongside it, a purse or clutch no bigger than 5 by 7 inches. No backpacks; bags for infants or medical supplies are exceptions. Rules can differ for concerts, so confirm the current policy for your event.
- Gate times: 90 minutes before first pitch for everyone, two hours for season ticket members at designated gates.
- Food: bring your own if each item is wrapped and meant for you.
- Water: a sealed liter (or smaller) of plain, clear water, or a reusable bottle that is empty at the gate.
- Leaving and returning: allowed, with a ticket scan at exit and another at re-entry.
- Smoking: not allowed, vaping and e-cigarettes included.
The open concourses keep the field in sight while you buy food. For fans with disabilities, the park sells wheelchair locations, transfer seats and semi-ambulatory seats (24 inches or more of legroom), and it lends assistive listening devices and provides captioning at no charge. A 100% guarantee covers every Reserved Seat order.
Two decades downtown
Crews broke ground in May 2000, and four years and about 450 million dollars later, the gates opened on April 8, 2004. Populous, then called HOK Sport, designed it with architect Antoine Predock, pairing Indian sandstone and stucco walls with white steel and navy seating, and kept the Western Metal Supply building rather than demolishing it. The Petco name has been on the building from the start; the company extended its deal in 2021.
Big events include the inaugural World Baseball Classic's final round in 2006 and the Midsummer Classic in 2016, and it served as a neutral site for American League playoff games in 2020. The fences came in and the bullpens moved in 2013, and a videoboard of about 61 by 124 feet arrived in 2015. The Holiday Bowl was played here for the 2022 and 2023 games before moving to Snapdragon Stadium in December 2024, and WWE staged Survivor Series here in 2025. Capacity peaked at 42,691 from 2008 to 2012; the attendance record, 47,773, came on October 9, 2024, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose home is covered in the Dodger Stadium guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of Petco Park is shaded for day games?
Third base. Batters face due north, so the sun slides behind the third-base stands in the afternoon, shading the lower rows there before anywhere else.
Where is the Padres dugout?
Along first base; opponents sit on the third-base side.
What is Gallagher Square?
The raised lawn behind the outfield, where standing-room fans spread out without assigned spots. On days without baseball it is a neighborhood park with a playground.
How many fans does Petco Park hold?
Capacity is 39,860 as of 2024; the most ever in the building was 47,773, for an October 2024 playoff game with the Dodgers.
Is there a trolley stop at Petco Park?
Yes. Ride to 12th and Imperial Transit Center, right next to the park.
What bags are allowed at Petco Park?
As of 2026, one clear single-compartment bag (up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches) plus a small purse, but no backpacks. Look up the team's current rules before your game.