Upcoming events at Ohio Stadium
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
The Horseshoe: home of Ohio State football
Ohio Stadium is the home of Ohio State Buckeyes football, an open-air, horseshoe-shaped stadium on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus with a capacity of 102,780. It opened in October 1922, and fans know it as "The Horseshoe" or simply "The Shoe." It is the largest stadium in Ohio and one of the largest on-campus football stadiums in the country.
Football is the main event. Ohio State's home schedule runs through the fall, typically from early September into late November. Demand peaks for Big Ten rivals and above all for Michigan, which visits Columbus in alternating years; the stadium's record crowd of 110,045 came for the double-overtime Michigan game on November 26, 2016.
- Buckeyes football: fall Saturdays, with kickoff times that range from noon to night games.
- Concerts: mainly late spring and summer, including country festivals and major stadium tours.
- Other events: Ohio State's spring commencement, and occasional soccer matches.
Seating layout: the A, B and C decks and the four stands
The Ohio Stadium seating chart is easiest to read in two directions: by deck and by stand.
Decks
The architect, Howard Dwight Smith, gave the stadium an upper deck that hangs over part of the lower deck instead of building one large bowl. That design produced three seating decks:
- A deck: the lower level, closest to the field. When the field was lowered 14.5 feet during the 1998–2001 renovation, seats were added closer to the field.
- B deck: the middle tier.
- C deck: the upper level, which overhangs the seats below.
Stands
- East and West stands: the two sidelines, the most sought-after locations for football.
- North end: the closed end of the horseshoe, marked by the Rotunda, a domed entrance modeled on the Pantheon in Rome.
- South Stands: the open end of the horseshoe, where 2,500 seats were added above the entrance tunnels in 2014. The student section sits here and starts the stadium's O-H-I-O chant.
The main video board, a 124-by-42-foot HD screen, is in the south end, with a smaller board at the north end. The 1998–2001 renovation also added 81 suites and about 2,500 club seats. Always check which deck a listing is in before you buy, because the same stand can mean very different heights.
Best seats for football and concerts, and seats to avoid
Buckeyes games
The best football seats are sideline seats in the East or West stands between the 30-yard lines, and the A deck from the middle rows up is the sweet spot. The lowest A-deck rows sit close to field level since the field was lowered, which puts you close to the players but flattens the view, and the team benches and sideline crowd block the near side. Higher rows see over them.
The B deck on the sidelines is the best balance of height and distance for reading plays. The C deck is the budget option on the sidelines; it is high, but the view of the whole field is clear. The South Stands are loud and full of students, which is the atmosphere some fans want and the view others do not.
Sun and weather
Ohio Stadium is open air, so early-season noon games are hot and November games can be cold and wet. For an afternoon game, seats on the west side, facing east, keep the sun behind you. Seats deep in the A and B decks under the overhang get shade and some rain cover late in the day, but the overhang also cuts off the view of high punts and the upper video board.
Concerts
Concerts usually put the stage at one end of the field. Sideline seats in the lower decks angled toward the stage beat the far end zone, where distance and the standing floor crowd limit what you see.
Seats to think twice about
- Low A-deck end-zone rows, which see little of the action at the far end.
- Rows deep under an overhang if you want to follow the ball in the air.
- Seats behind the stage line at concerts, sold as limited view.
Parking, shuttles and tailgating (2026 season)
Parking
Ohio State's parking operator, CampusParc, publishes a new football parking map each season. For the 2026 season, day-of-game parking is sold in three tiers (Premiere, Proximity and Non-proximity), priced by distance from the stadium. All payment is by credit card or phone; no cash is accepted. Lots open at 5 a.m. on game day on a first-come, first-served basis, and there is no re-entry. Season football parking passes are sold through the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office. Prices and lot assignments change by season, so check the CampusParc football page before you go.
Free shuttle
A free football shuttle runs from the Mount Hall loop on West Campus (near Lane Avenue and Carmack Road) to the Herrick Drive Transit Hub, just south of the stadium. It starts six hours before kickoff and runs until 90 minutes after the game. Parking on West Campus and riding in is usually faster than fighting traffic near Woody Hayes Drive. Campus bus routes are suspended from six hours before kickoff until two hours after the game.
Tailgating
- Tailgates must fit in the 8.5-by-15-foot parking space, and saving extra spaces is not allowed.
- Charcoal grills, wood grills and fire pits are banned on campus; propane grills are allowed under the university's safety rules.
- No grills, generators or power outlets in garages.
Accessible parking
Accessible parking is in the lots north of St. John Arena and in the Lane Avenue Garage, with a shuttle to the east side of the stadium near Gate 22 from six hours before kickoff until one hour after the game.
Bag policy and entry (check before the 2026 season)
Ohio State posts its stadium bag rules, entry times and digital ticketing details on its football gameday page, and they can change from season to season. As of fall 2026, check that page before every game rather than relying on what was allowed in past years.
- Plan for the strictest version: college stadiums often limit fans to small clear bags and tiny clutches, so bringing no bag or a small clear bag is the safest choice.
- Leave extra time: with more than 100,000 people entering through the same gates, security lines are longest in the final hour before kickoff.
- Have your ticket ready: load your mobile ticket before you reach campus, since cell service slows when the stadium fills.
Every order on GoodSeats comes with guaranteed entry.
What gameday feels like
The pregame rituals are a large part of the ticket. The Ohio State marching band performs Script Ohio, and a sousaphone player "dots the i," one of the best-known traditions in college football. The O-H-I-O chant starts with the students in the South Stands and rolls around the stadium from stand to stand. Arriving early enough to be in your seat for the band is worth planning around.
Night games, once rare, became common after permanent lights were added in 2014. They are louder and more intense, and they end late, so build in time for the walk back and the shuttle lines.
A century of history in the Shoe
Ohio Stadium opened on October 7, 1922, with 66,210 seats, replacing Ohio Field. Its overhanging decks and double columns were advanced for the time, and the stadium sits on the Olentangy River flood plain behind a slurry wall. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The 1998–2001 renovation removed the running track, lowered the field 14.5 feet and pushed capacity above 101,000. The 2014 project added the south seats and the lights, and later suite work brought capacity to its current 102,780. The playing surface has been called Safelite Field since 2022 under a naming deal, but the stadium kept its name. Beyond football, the Shoe hosted the Columbus Crew from 1996 to 1998 and has drawn huge concert crowds, including 97,367 for Luke Combs in April 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capacity of Ohio Stadium?
Ohio Stadium's capacity is 102,780. The record crowd is 110,045, for the Michigan game on November 26, 2016.
What is the Ohio Stadium bag policy?
Ohio State publishes its bag rules on its football gameday page and can change them each season. As of fall 2026, check that page before you go, and bring no bag or a small clear bag to be safe.
Where do I park for an Ohio State game?
Day-of-game lots on campus open at 5 a.m. and take cards or phone payments only. Many fans park on West Campus and take the free shuttle, which runs from six hours before kickoff until 90 minutes after the game.
Where is the student section at Ohio Stadium?
The students sit in the South Stands, the open end of the horseshoe, where the O-H-I-O chant starts.
Does Ohio Stadium have a roof?
No. It is an open-air stadium, so sun, heat, cold and rain all matter. West-side seats keep the afternoon sun behind you, and seats under the upper-deck overhang get some cover.