Gillette Stadium

Looking for section numbers and the best seats by level? See the Gillette Stadium Seating Chart.

Gillette Stadium at a glance

Gillette Stadium is the open-air stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, home to the New England Patriots of the NFL and the New England Revolution of MLS. It seats 64,628 for football and also hosts summer stadium concerts and major soccer, including seven matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when it was temporarily called Boston Stadium.

The stadium opened on May 11, 2002, about 22 miles southwest of Boston on Route 1. Kraft Sports Group, part of the Kraft Group, owns and operates it along with both home teams. It opened under the name CMGI Field before Gillette took over the naming rights. Next door, Patriot Place adds restaurants, shops and the Patriots Hall of Fame.

The first thing to know is that Gillette is a suburban, drive-in stadium. The seats themselves are easy to understand; the logistics of getting in and out of Foxborough are what make or break the day.

How the sections are laid out

Gillette uses a three-level layout.

• Lower level (100s): the bowl closest to the field.
• Mezzanine (200s and CL sections): the middle tier, including the club seats (labeled CL) on both sidelines, which connect to the large indoor Cross Insurance Club lounges on the east and west sides.
• Upper level (300s): the top tier, with a walkway separating the first few rows from the rest.

The Patriots bench is on the east side of the field, in front of sections 108 to 111, with 109 and 110 at midfield. The visiting team is across the field in front of sections 130 to 135, with 131 and 132 at midfield. The north end zone, sections 140 to 143, sits beneath the stadium's 218-foot lighthouse, and the 2023 renovation at that end added what the stadium describes as the largest video board of its kind in the United States.

Choosing seats: sidelines, sun and the upper deck

Sun vs. shade

The stadium is oriented northwest to southeast. For afternoon kickoffs, the west side, which is the visitor sideline, falls into shade: roughly sections 125 to 138, 223 to 238 and 323 to 340 at a 4 p.m. start. The east, Patriots side (about sections 101 to 115, 201 to 215 and 301 to 315) stays in the sun. That sun is welcome in late November and a burden in early September. Only the back rows of the lower bowl, under the club overhang, have any real cover.

Best overall views

• Lower sideline, rows in the teens and twenties: high enough to see the whole field over the benches.
• Club seats at midfield: CL9 and CL10 on the Patriots side and CL31 and CL32 on the visitor side combine a strong view with indoor lounge access.
• Upper midfield: sections 309 and 310 behind the Patriots bench and 331 and 332 across the field. The first seven rows, in front of the walkway, are the ones to target.

Seats to think twice about

The upper rows of the 300-level corners are the most distant seats in the stadium, and they catch the full force of December wind. The lower end zone sections are excellent for red-zone action and the lighthouse atmosphere, but poor for following plays between the 30-yard lines.

Concerts and soccer at Gillette

Gillette is a regular summer stop for stadium tours. With an end-stage setup, the floor sections nearest the stage and the lower sideline sections closest to the stage end give the best mix of distance and angle. Some fans report that the back rows of the lower bowl can catch stage lighting aimed toward the stands, which is worth knowing if you are sensitive to bright lights.

For Revolution matches, the sideline logic is the same as for football: lower sideline seats near midfield follow the play best. Gates open about an hour before kickoff for Revolution games.

Getting to Foxborough: train, car or rideshare

Route 1 is the main road past the stadium, and it is the bottleneck on every event day. Pick one of these plans and commit to it.

• Event train: the MBTA Commuter Rail runs special event trains to Foxboro Station from South Station in Boston (with stops at Back Bay and Dedham Corporate Center) and, for select events, from Providence. Trains arrive about an hour before the event and leave about 30 minutes after it ends. Round-trip tickets are sold only through the mTicket app, cannot be refunded and can sell out, so buy them early.
• Driving: as of the 2025 season, general parking lots for Patriots games are free, and they open four hours before kickoff. Paid, stadium-side lots require an advance pass. Follow police and attendant directions rather than a navigation app once you are near Route 1.
• Rideshare: Uber and Lyft use Lot 15, near the CVS Health Gate, for Patriots and Revolution games (Lot 16 for concerts). Drop-offs on Route 1 itself are illegal.

See the MBTA's Gillette Stadium page for current train schedules.

Gate times, bags and stadium rules

As of the 2025 season, the stadium lists these policies. Check the venue's current policy before you go.

• Bags: one clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bag up to 12 by 12 by 6 inches, a one-gallon clear freezer bag, or a small wristlet up to 6.5 by 4.5 inches. Mobile lockers are available for other bags.
• Gates for Patriots games: club and suite entrances open about three hours before kickoff and general gates about two hours before.
• Tickets: all tickets are mobile, through the Gillette Stadium app.
• Re-entry: not allowed at Patriots or Revolution games.
• Payment: fully cashless, with cash-to-card kiosks for fans who bring cash.

Tailgating can begin when the lots open. Grills must be contained and never left unattended, and overnight parking is not allowed.

Patriot Place, the lighthouse and stadium history

Arriving early has its rewards. Patriot Place, the shopping and dining district beside the stadium, has dozens of restaurants, and the Patriots Hall of Fame sits next to the ProShop. The lighthouse at the north end has a 360-degree observation deck, and the stadium's signature bridge was modeled on Boston's Longfellow Bridge.

Gillette replaced the old Foxboro Stadium next door. It was built for about 325 million and opened in 2002 as CMGI Field. It has hosted Patriots playoff games, stadium concerts and World Cup soccer, and the 2023 north-end renovation added the oversized video board.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Gillette Stadium
• Gillette Stadium – A to Z Guide
• Gillette Stadium – Bag Policy
• Gillette Stadium – Parking
• Gillette Stadium – Transportation
• MBTA – Gillette Stadium event trains
• SeatGeek – New England Patriots fan guide
• Shaded Seats – Gillette Stadium sun and shade
• A View From My Seat – Gillette Stadium