Phoenix stadiums and arenas at a glance
The Valley’s big event venues sit in three clusters. Downtown Phoenix has Chase Field, Footprint Center (now Mortgage Matchup Center), Arizona Financial Theatre and Crescent Ballroom, all within walking distance of light rail. Westgate in Glendale has State Farm Stadium and Desert Diamond Arena, side by side off Loop 101. The rest are spread out: Mullett Arena on ASU’s Tempe campus, Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in west Phoenix, Phoenix Raceway in Avondale and Arizona Athletic Grounds in southeast Mesa.
Most of them use a clear bag rule or a strict size limit, and almost all are cashless. Each venue below links to a full guide with lots, prices, bag rules and where to eat.
Every one of these guides was written from the venue’s own published policies, checked in October 2026, plus 30-some years of driving to games and shows around the Valley. The bag rule is the thing that gets people turned around at the gate, so it’s in the table below for every venue. Policies change by event, so always check the event page the week you go.
Bag policy comparison: every major Phoenix venue
| Venue | City | Bag rule | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Farm Stadium | Glendale | Clear bag up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″, or a clutch up to 4.5″ x 6.5″ | State Farm Stadium guide |
| Chase Field | Phoenix | Clear bag up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″, or a clutch up to 4.5″ x 6.5″; no backpacks | Chase Field guide |
| Footprint Center (Mortgage Matchup Center) | Phoenix | No backpacks; clutches, crossbodies and clear bags allowed within the NBA size limit | Footprint Center guide |
| Desert Diamond Arena | Glendale | Any bag up to 12″ x 12″ x 6″; some shows are clutch-only | Desert Diamond Arena guide |
| Arizona Financial Theatre | Phoenix | Bags up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″, all searched; no backpacks | Arizona Financial Theatre guide |
| Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre | Phoenix (west) | Clear bag about 12″ x 12″ x 6″, or a clutch up to 6″ x 9″ | Talking Stick Amphitheatre guide |
| Mullett Arena | Tempe | Clear bag up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″, plus a clutch up to 4.5″ x 6.5″ | Mullett Arena guide |
| Phoenix Raceway | Avondale | Two bags up to 18″ x 18″ x 14″, plus a soft cooler up to 14″ x 14″ x 14″ | Phoenix Raceway guide |
| Crescent Ballroom | Phoenix | No large bags or backpacks, and no bag storage | Crescent Ballroom guide |
| Arizona Athletic Grounds | Mesa | No outside food; water and water coolers allowed at outdoor venues | Arizona Athletic Grounds guide |
Summarized from each venue’s published policy as of October 2026. Concerts and tours can set stricter rules than the venue default.
Buy one stadium-approved clear bag that’s 12″ x 6″ x 12″ and keep it in the car. It gets you into State Farm Stadium, Chase Field and Mullett Arena, and it fits under the limits at Arizona Financial Theatre and Desert Diamond Arena. A small clutch-size bag under 4.5″ x 6.5″ covers almost everywhere else.
Downtown Phoenix venues
Four venues sit inside about a mile of downtown, and the light rail is the easiest way in for all of them. Parking is garages and street meters, with no big surface lots, so pre-paying matters more here than anywhere else in the Valley.
Chase Field · 401 E Jefferson St
Home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Chase Field Garage and the Jefferson Street Garage are closest, and the D-backs sell advance parking on ParkWhiz. Light rail stops at 3rd St/Jefferson and 3rd St/Washington.
Footprint Center (Mortgage Matchup Center) · 201 E Jefferson St
Home of the Suns and Mercury, renamed Mortgage Matchup Center in 2025. Same building, same address, same garages. No backpacks, and fans with no bag can use the faster express lanes.
Arizona Financial Theatre · 400 W Washington St
The downtown concert theater at 4th Avenue. The venue garage is the Adams Street Parking Garage one block north, and it’s cashless.
Crescent Ballroom · 308 N 2nd Ave
The small club on Van Buren. No lot of its own: use the garage across the street or the city meters, which go free at 10 p.m. Most shows are 21+.
Westgate venues in Glendale
State Farm Stadium and Desert Diamond Arena are across the street from each other in the Westgate Entertainment District, so they share the same freeway exits, the same restaurants and the same post-event traffic on Loop 101.
State Farm Stadium · 1 Cardinals Dr
Home of the Cardinals and the Valley’s biggest concerts. Color-coded lots in Sportsman’s Park, Black Lot rideshare, and a strict clear bag rule.
Desert Diamond Arena · 9400 W Maryland Ave
The Glendale arena for concerts and events. Lots open one hour before doors and take cards only, and rideshare drops off near the AMC by Gate 4.
East Valley and West Valley venues
Mullett Arena, Tempe · 411 S Packard Dr
ASU’s hockey arena on the Tempe campus. ASU Parking runs the garages; Sun Devil Athletics parking is $15 and concert parking varies.
Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa · 6321 S Ellsworth Rd
The youth and amateur sports complex near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, formerly Legacy Park. Parking comes with event admission, and the whole complex is cashless.
Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, west Phoenix · 2121 N 83rd Ave
The outdoor amphitheater off I-10, formerly Ak-Chin Pavilion. It is not at the Talking Stick casino in Scottsdale. Rideshare pickup is on Palm Lane.
Phoenix Raceway, Avondale · 7602 Jimmie Johnson Dr
NASCAR’s desert mile, south of I-10. The most generous bag rule in the Valley, plus a soft cooler. The next NASCAR weekend is March 12 to 14, 2027.
Footprint Center and Mortgage Matchup Center are the same arena in downtown Phoenix. Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre is in west Phoenix at 83rd Avenue and I-10, on the opposite side of the Valley from Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale. Put the street address, not the venue name, into your map app.
Planning the rest of the trip? Our things to do in Phoenix guide covers the Valley, and the AZ Charged restaurants directory lists hand-checked places to eat before the show. How we pick and check businesses is on our How We Rank page.
Phoenix stadiums and arenas FAQ
What are the main stadiums and arenas in the Phoenix area?
State Farm Stadium and Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale; Chase Field, Footprint Center (Mortgage Matchup Center) and Arizona Financial Theatre in downtown Phoenix; Mullett Arena in Tempe; Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in west Phoenix; Phoenix Raceway in Avondale; and Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa.
Which Phoenix venues require a clear bag?
State Farm Stadium, Chase Field and Mullett Arena require a clear bag no larger than 12″ x 6″ x 12″, or a small clutch. Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre uses a clear bag rule of about 12″ x 12″ x 6″. Desert Diamond Arena allows any bag up to 12″ x 12″ x 6″.
Is Footprint Center the same as Mortgage Matchup Center?
Yes. Footprint Center was renamed Mortgage Matchup Center in 2025. It is the same arena at 201 E Jefferson St in downtown Phoenix, home of the Suns and Mercury.
Which Phoenix venues can you reach by light rail?
Chase Field, Footprint Center, Arizona Financial Theatre and Crescent Ballroom are all a short walk from downtown light rail stations. The Westgate venues in Glendale, Phoenix Raceway and Arizona Athletic Grounds are not on the light rail.
Are Phoenix stadiums cashless?
Almost all of them. State Farm Stadium, Mullett Arena, Phoenix Raceway and Arizona Athletic Grounds are cashless, and many parking lots and garages take cards only. Bring a card or phone wallet.
Run a business near a Valley venue?
Restaurants, bars, hotels and parking operators near these venues get searched before every big game and show. AZ Charged is a hand-verified Arizona directory with zero pay-to-rank. Get reviewed and get listed.
Sources: Each venue’s own published bag, parking and visitor policies, retrieved October 21, 2026. Full source lists are on each venue guide. Policies are set by each venue and can change by event.
Featured photo: Alan Stark, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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