Question of the Day - 03 October 2023

In part, that will depend on if you're going to a concert with 17,000 of your closest friends or seeing the movie Postcard from Earth, which debuts on Friday and will run three times daily and four on Sundays. It also has to do with whether you'll be going before or after the F1 race. Both involve parking -- availability and expense. 

These days and presumably up until the race, parking is limited at the venue itself due to the impact of prep work in the area. So if you're seeing a concert, you need a good plan.

There are six on-site self-parking lots and one valet lot, all east and south of the arena, but only one self lot and the valet lot are open; the rest are impacted by F1 construction. Lot S, next to valet, is charging $47.50 ($55.50 including fees) for the movie Postcard from Earth and $100 (plus fees) for U2 concerts. Valet parking in the adjacent lot is going for $72.50/$125. You can make reservations for both through Ticketmaster, though from our audit, it looks like most of those are sold out. There are also four lots/garages across Manhattan Street at the Howard Hughes Center with 2,000 spaces, which will be open for Sphere events: $30/$70. Those are first-come first-served. So far, the Venetian and Wynn have yet to announce parking prices for Sphere events, but self-parking at the Wynn is $20 for the day and at Venetian $15 for four hours.

If you're walking from the Strip, four of the five entrances to the arena are along Sands Avenue; the fifth, the Plaza entrance, is east of the building on Manhattan Street opposite Lot A. You can see the map of the Sphere and parking lots here. 

In general, since we haven't investigated the parking situation firsthand yet, we can say that the farther you're able to walk to Sphere, the less expensive and more available parking will be.

Once you're at the venue, here are the rules for entry. Like Allegiant Stadium, no large bags or backpacks are allowed. Purses and small fanny packs (6 by 6 by 2 inches) and medically required bags are permitted. Verboten items include selfie sticks, laser pens, recording devices and cameras, and all signs and banners.

No outside food or drink is allowed, only clear plastic empty water bottles that you can fill at water fountains. We haven't heard what's for sale inside, but we do know it's a completely cashless venue. Absolutely no smoking is allowed. 

You'll go through a security check. Give yourself enough time to get in and seated. 

Finally, there's no re-entry. Once you leave the venue, you're out.