Colts: Here’s where you can tailgate for Indy’s home opener vs Vikings
By Adam Weinrib
Only 2,500 Colts fans can attend Sunday’s game, but there are still tailgate spots available — if you look hard enough.
The Indianapolis Colts are opening Lucas Oil Stadium to a small number of fans on Sunday to watch their team attempt to rebound against the Minnesota Vikings. Against all odds, this is the second consecutive Sunday where the Colts will have at least some fans in attendance to witness their battle, following Jacksonville’s admission of select citizens of Duval County.
However — and this should come as no surprise — things will obviously look a lot different.
Tailgating will be significantly hard to come by, with all such festivities in the stadium lots and Touchdown Town fully prohibited.
https://twitter.com/ColtsEvents/status/1193941965848612870?s=20
However, there are certain spots where Colts fans who feel comfortable doing so can congregate before the game.
Where can Colts fans tailgate in 2020?
According to those in charge, N.K. Hurst’s lots, as well as Gate Ten Events and Parking, will both allow tailgating to occur; the latter organization made a point to encourage distancing and the wearing of masks, where applicable.
Rick Hurst, the president of N.K. Hurst, emphasized that he trusts Colts fans, and put things thusly:
"“We’re going to space them in, it’s a family pod, one or two cars. But there will be space for 200 cars. It’s just a different time so that’s what we’re doing and hopefully when all this is over we’ll go back to what we did in 2019. We’re not going to have the COVID police standing out there with people telling you you can’t tailgate. People are very respectful and the Colts fans, they all understand. I mean, the Colts are allowing 2,500 fans to come to their games and it’s already hard enough. We expect everybody to abide by those rules.”"
Of course, there’s an ethical quandary here, and it’s difficult to outright allow practices to continue without supervision — certainly after a fan who attended the Thursday Night Opener at Arrowhead Stadium tested positive for the virus, instituting a quarantine of their close contacts.
Fans tailgating on Sunday, as well as attending the game, will be subjected to an inherent risk. And the city should hope that all goes well this week, as the capacity of fans allowed is tripling heading into Week 3.
🏈Texans are working towards having up to 15,000 fans Week 4.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 17, 2020
🏈Colts are increasing from 2,500 fans in Week 2 to 7,500 in Week 3.
🏈Titans will have fans starting at 10% capacity and scaling up beginning in Week 4.
Small steps forward.
These small steps signal a return to forced normalcy, and the aftereffects and city’s ability to proceed will not be evident until well after the final whistle.
