I was planning a visit to GIANTS Stadium and my mate told me I could bring food with me from home. Curious what he meant, I did a bit of research and was surprised to find what I could bring from home, and what I could buy there. To reduce the confusion for anyone else, I put together this guide as a summary of what I found.
In summary, home-made food can be brought into GIANTS Stadium. Tea, coffee, soft drinks, and water can also be brought in. Takeaway and other commercially prepared food cannot be brought in to the stadium, neither can alcohol.
Food is available to purchase once inside the stadium. Snacks, such as a bucket of hot chips, start from $3. More substantial meals are available, including Subway, for a higher price.
Alcohol is also available for purchase once inside. Expect to spend around $6 for beer or wine, or $8.50 for pre-mixed spirits.
Here are some examples of what can and cannot be brought into GIANTS Stadium:
| Sandwiches made at home | OK |
| Pies and cake made at home | OK |
| Tea and coffee | OK |
| Soft drink or water in a plastic bottle | OK |
| Takeaway food (e.g. McDonald’s) | NOT OK |
| Canned drink | NOT OK |
| Alcohol | NOT OK |
| Backpack | OK |
In this guide I’ve included further details on the food that can be brought in, and what’s available once inside; drinks that can be brought in; and details on other personal belongings such as how to bring in bags and prams.
Food
Food made at home can be brought in to GIANTS Stadium. Sandwiches, home-made pies, cakes, fruit, and snacks for the kids are examples of home-made food that can be brought in to the stadium.
I suggest to use plastic boxes, foil, cling wrap, or paper to store the food in your bag. Glass and metal containers are not allowed to be brought in.
I also heard this means packets of chips and lollies can be brought in, but I’ve never had the chance to try this myself.
Commercially prepared food cannot be brought in to GIANTS stadium. This means takeaway food, such as McDonald’s or KFC, cannot be brought in to the stadium. Any food that is from a recognisable commercial food outlet or provided by an external caterer cannot be brought in.
Food is available for purchase once inside the stadium. Prices start from $3. Some examples include:
| Crumbed chicken tenders | $3 |
| Bucket of hot chips | $3 |
| Hot chips + soft drink | $5 |
I found this to be some of the cheapest hot food sold at any footy ground in the country.
There are more substantial options available, including full meals. Examples include:
- Subway, with its chicken & bacon ranch melt
- Jimmy’s Catch, selling fish & chips, fish burgers, and seafood baskets
- Chicken Schnitzel Theatre, selling schnitzels with a variety of toppings
Other food options include hot dogs, burgers, Asian cuisine, and kebabs.
Drinks
Soft drink or water can be brought in to GIANTS Stadium. One plastic bottle of either soft drink or water can be brought in to the stadium. The bottle must sealed upon entry.
Water refill stations are available once inside. These are located at Gate A and at Gate D.
Tea, coffee, and hot chocolate, can be brought in to GIANTS Stadium. Insulated beverage containers, such as a thermos, can be used to carry a hot drink. The drink may be checked on the way in to make sure it doesn’t contain alcohol.
Alcoholic drinks are not allowed to be brought in to GIANTS Stadium. Alcohol can be purchased once inside. Prices for alcohol start at $6 for beer. Examples include:
| Tap beer | $6 |
| Light beer | $6 |
| Wine (red, white, or sparkling) | $6 |
| Pre-mixed spirits (e.g. CC and Dry) | $8.50 |
Backpacks and Bags
Bags and backpacks must be small enough to fit under a seat. I’ve never heard of anyone having trouble with a standard backpack (i.e. don’t bring in a camping backpack and it should be OK). I recommend keeping it fold-able though so that it can always be squeezed under the seat if necessary.
Small portable Eskies can be brought in to GIANTS Stadium. The rule is that they must be able to fit under a seat. I recommend using a soft insulated bag if possible, that way it can fold and bend to the size necessary (these tend to be a bit smaller than an Esky I know).
Strollers and Prams
Prams can be brought in to GIANTS stadium only if they can be folded. As a guide, the pram should be able to be folded such that it fits under a seat.
There are also designated pram bays available for storing prams. Pram bays can be found near aisles 201, 221, 402, and 431.
A parents’ room can be found on the outer concourse, behind the Members Stand. All accessible toilets are fitted with change tables.
Cameras
Cameras for personal and amateur use can be brought in to GIANTS Stadium. If the camera looks like it’s for commercial use then it might not be allowed in. While not explicitly disallowed, it doesn’t look like tripods for cameras can be brought in.
List of what NOT to bring in
GIANTS stadium maintains a long list of things that can’t be brought in. Some of the more pertinent items include:
- Alcohol
- Cans, such as cans of drink
- Glass bottles
- Metal containers
- Laser pointers
- Skateboards, scooters, roller blades or bicycles
- Pets
- Flags over 1m by 1m in size
- Flag poles over 1.5m in length
- Shredded paper or confetti
- Whistles or horns
- Commercial food
If you’re interested in the full list of prohibited items, you can check it out here.
Bottom Line
To bring in food: Make it at home first and bring it with you. Most containers and wrapping is ok to use to store the food, however avoid metal or glass containers as these are not allowed.
To bring in drink: Make sure it’s in a sealed plastic bottle when you enter. Refill stations are available inside for refilling water bottles.
To bring in bags: Backpacks and handbags should be capable of being stored under the seat. Small Eskies and cooler bags can be brought in if they fit this rule too.
I found the food options available inside to be great too – it’s hard to beat snacks that only start at a few dollars. I think this is the cheapest food I’ve seen at a stadium yet!
References
I did a lot of research putting this guide together. This is because I haven’t had the chance to actually go to a match at the stadium yet. If you want to see where I got my info from, I’ve included the sources here:
- List of food outlets at GIANTS Stadium
- Statements from GIANTS Stadium on bringing in food, drinks, and other items
- Conditions of entry that apply to GIANTS Stadium
- A guide my mate Cass put together listing the rules on what can and can’t be brought in to each footy venue around the country.
Chris lived in Sydney for just over a year but he never had the chance to visit the Sydney Showgrounds or GIANTS Stadium.