The NFL says no to Super Bowl tailgating in Hard Rock Stadium parking lots

Fans heading to Miami Garden’s Hard Rock Stadium for the Super Bowl will have to leave their grills, tents and elaborate tailgating rigs at home.

The NFL has a no-tailgating policy in the parking lots it’s managing around the Florida stadium for the big game on February 2 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

“This is not anything new and has been the same for previous Super Bowls, including those in Miami,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told CNN affiliate WFOR. “Fans are to park in their allotted spot and may not have a grill or erect tents.”

Ticket holders can still bring food and “frosty beverages” to enjoy before the game, McCarthy told the station, but they’ll have to do it in their parking spots instead of spreading out around the spaces. And there are plenty of free things to do before the game in the Gameday Fan Plaza and inside the stadium, he said.

The NFL confirmed the policy with CNN.

During the regular season, the stadium allows tailgaters to set up tents and gas or charcoal grills up in an 8 foot-by-10 foot area directly behind their vehicle.

The Super Bowl tailgating policy is posted at the site where parking passes are sold, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise on game day.

And the rule doesn’t appear to be deterring fans. Parking spaces for the game, which run $120 for a standard vehicle and more for limos, vans and buses, are sold out, according to the site.