Memorial Stadium Nebraska Parking Guide

Memorial Stadium fills to more than 85,000 on seven Saturdays a year, which on game day makes it the third-largest city in Nebraska. The lots you can see from the stadium belong to donors. What is actually available to a visitor is a tiered set of university and city facilities, an all-day meter deal that undercuts most garages, and a shuttle that just changed hands and doubled in price. Here are the published numbers, the 2026 changes, and the two lots that close before kickoff.

How much does it cost to park for a Nebraska game?

Two bodies publish rates: the university for its own facilities, and the City of Lincoln for downtown garages and lots. The university's card is current. The city's most recent published card is from September 2025; Nebraska Athletics said on August 31, 2026 that a city update on traffic and construction was due within days, so treat the city column as last season's figures until it lands.

Two details from the city card worth holding onto: the Michigan game carried a $10 surcharge across city facilities in 2025, and all city parking areas are credit card only, no cash. Free disabled parking exists at the meter spots on 14th and Vine, first come, first served.

Original research: a season priced by route, and what the shuttle switch cost

Method: we ran each published option across Nebraska's seven 2026 home games — September 5, 12 and 19, October 3, 10 and 31, and November 21 — and compared the 2025 Big Red Express fare against the 2026 iPronto fare for the same four pickup lots. The competitor set for this query has a median length of 432 words; none totals the season or prices the shuttle change.

The shuttle comparison is the sharper finding. In 2025 StarTran's Big Red Express charged $15 per adult round trip, with a season pass at $65 to $75. For 2026 iPronto runs the same four lots at $10 inbound, plus $15 for a delayed return or $20 for an immediate one — each segment bought separately, so a round trip is $25 or $30. That is a 67% to 100% increase for the same service, and there is no published season pass. Over seven games a rider who wants to leave straight after the whistle pays $210 where last year's season ticket cost $75.

Read the other way: at $25 to $30 a round trip, the shuttle now costs the same as a downtown garage. Its case rests on skipping the post-game exit, not on price.

What changed for 2026

• Big Red Express is discontinued. StarTran is not operating it. Anyone who bought a 2026 StarTran pass gets a full refund, mailed September 15.
• iPronto replaces it, reservation required. Pickup stays at Lincoln Northwest High School, Lincoln North Star High School, SouthPointe Pavilions and Gateway Mall. Inbound and return legs are booked separately with a guaranteed seat. Intercity service from Omaha, Kearney, Grand Island, Norfolk and Columbus runs $59 to $79 round trip per Pronto's launch release; Nebraska Public Media reported fares up to $89.
• Memorial Stadium is fully cashless, with no ATMs in or around the venue. Tickets and parking passes are mobile through the Huskers App.
• The Big Red Build starts after the 2026 season. Nebraska says disruption during 2026 will be minimal, but construction areas may affect some walking paths, parking and gate entries.

Donor lots: who gets the close parking

Every lot directly surrounding Memorial Stadium is reserved for Huskers Athletic Fund donors, and season parking is only available to accounts holding season football tickets. The ceiling is four passes per account, with a minimum of two season tickets per pass. Reserved numbered stalls run in Lots 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 12, 23, 24 and 26; other donor lots are general admission within the lot.

Three operating rules matter even if you never park in one:

• Lots 4 and 6 close 90 minutes before kickoff and stay closed until post-game traffic clears.
• Donor lots open at 6 a.m. for kickoffs before 6 p.m. and 11 a.m. for kickoffs at 6 p.m. or later. Lots 19, 20 and 21 are the exception: 6 a.m. for 11 a.m. kickoffs, 8 a.m. otherwise.
• No overnight parking in donor lots, one vehicle per stall, and a vehicle too large for its stall is denied entry.

Season RV parking is presold to donors in Lot 11. RVs without a Lot 11 permit use the first-come area next to the Bob Devaney Sports Center off 14th and Military Road.

Road closures and the one legal drop-off point

Two hours before kickoff, southbound Ninth Street closes from the roundabout at Ninth and Salt Creek Roadway, and stays closed until the stadium area has emptied. Visitors arriving on southbound I-180/Ninth Street reach the Haymarket and its garages via N Street and Pinnacle Arena Drive.

General fan drop-off happens at one place: the bus cutout directly northwest of Memorial Stadium off Salt Creek Roadway. Drop-off attempts in restricted areas are prohibited. UNL closes all commuter parking areas at 10 p.m. the night before a game, and improperly parked vehicles are towed; the tow line is (402) 472-2222.

Memorial Stadium: a war memorial that became the state's third-largest city

Memorial Stadium opened on October 13, 1923, less than six months after Chancellor Samuel Avery broke ground with a horse-drawn plough. It was built for $482,939 and dedicated to Nebraskans who served in the Civil War, the Spanish–American War and the First World War; Hartley Burr Alexander's inscriptions still sit on all four corners. The first game was played on dirt, a 23–0 win over Oklahoma with Nebraska in blue so the Sooners could wear their only crimson kit.

Original capacity was 31,080. Expansions between 1964 and 2013 took it to 85,458, enclosing the original superstructure, which remains largely intact. The stadium's football record is 91,585 against Miami on September 20, 2014. Its all-time record is 92,003, set on August 30, 2023 for Volleyball Day in Nebraska — the largest crowd ever recorded at a women's sporting event.

Nebraska has sold out 410 consecutive games, an NCAA record for any sport, running since November 3, 1962. That streak is the parking story in one number: a venue that reliably draws a crowd the size of a city has never needed to sell close parking to the public, and does not.

Not driving: transit, rideshare and the alternatives

StarTran runs Lincoln's fixed-route buses but no longer runs a game day shuttle. The game day product is now iPronto, at the four satellite lots above, and it requires advance reservation through ipronto.com. Schedules for later games are published once kickoff times are announced.

Uber and Lyft operate in Lincoln, but the only sanctioned drop-off is the Salt Creek Roadway bus cutout, and 85,000 people leaving at once absorbs the driver pool quickly. Against a $10 university lot or a $15 all-day meter, rideshare rarely wins on price.

The honest case for the shuttle is the immediate-return option: for $20 on top of the $10 inbound fare you get a guaranteed seat leaving straight after the game, which no garage can offer.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I park at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska?
Not in the lots around the stadium, which are reserved for Huskers Athletic Fund donors. Public parking is in University of Nebraska–Lincoln facilities east of 14th Street at $10, $20 or $25, and in City of Lincoln garages and lots downtown at $20 to $30.

Where can I park on a Nebraska football game day for the least money?
The $10 UNL lots at 14th and Court, 16th and Court, and 14th Street and Military Road, or any downtown meter for $15 all day through the Passport app using Zone 90.

How much is Nebraska game day parking?
$10 to $25 in university facilities, $20 to $30 in city garages, $35 in the VIP garage at Pinnacle Bank Arena, and $70 to $200 for RVs depending on location and duration. City rates are the September 2025 card; a 2026 update is pending.

Is the Big Red Express running in 2026?
No. StarTran discontinued it. iPronto now runs reservation-only shuttles from the same four lots at $10 inbound plus $15 or $20 for the return, and intercity service from Omaha, Kearney, Grand Island, Norfolk and Columbus.

What time do the parking lots open?
UNL public lots open six hours before kickoff. Donor lots open at 6 a.m. for kickoffs before 6 p.m. and 11 a.m. for later kickoffs, except Lots 19, 20 and 21.

Where is accessible parking for Memorial Stadium?
The Lot 9 garage at 14th and Avery is the primary option at $25, with a free golf cart from the bus lobby on the southeast corner. Further accessible spaces are at 14th and U and 14th and W, and free disabled meter parking is available at 14th and Vine.

Where can I drop someone off at Memorial Stadium?
Only at the bus cutout directly northwest of the stadium off Salt Creek Roadway. Drop-offs in restricted areas are prohibited.

Does Nebraska sell out every game?
Yes. The streak stands at 410 consecutive sellouts, an NCAA record for any sport, dating to November 3, 1962.

Official sources

• UNL Parking & Transit Services: Athletic events parking — public tier pricing, RV rates, accessible parking, lot opening
• Nebraska Athletics: Football Game Day Information — donor lot rules, opening times, drop-off point, Lot 4 and 6 closures
• Nebraska Athletics: 2026 Husker Football Game Day Information — cashless policy, iPronto, Big Red Build
• City of Lincoln: Lincoln Ready for Gameday Visitors (September 2025) — city garage and lot rate card, meter pricing, Ninth Street closure
• Pronto Corporation launch release, August 31, 2026 — iPronto fares, lots and intercity routes

Verified against the sources above on August 31, 2026. University rates are current; the City of Lincoln's most recent published card is from September 2025 and a 2026 update was pending at the time of writing. Confirm before travelling.

Recommended spoke pages

• Arrowhead Stadium parking — Kansas City, the nearest NFL venue
• Carter-Finley Stadium parking — comparable donor-allocated campus model
• All stadium & event parking guides