Everything you need to know to maximize your Eagles tailgating experience

To truly understand the passion (or madness) of Eagles fans, you have to experience a tailgate outside of Lincoln Financial Field. When the Eagles are rolling, there’s no better place on the planet to be than in a parking lot getting amped for the biggest moment of the week.

It’s just a gigantic communal party. Put aside the cliched national talk of Eagles fans being evil demons. If you’re an Eagles fan hitting up a home game and doing a little tailgating beforehand, you’re guaranteed to have a blast.

Lincoln Financial Field is located in wonderful South Philadelphia right off 11th Street and Pattison Avenue. It’s easily accessible via the Broad Street Line subway stop at Broad Street and Pattison. You have to actually GET THERE before you can start raging, ya know?

There are options for where you can go tailgate. Some rules and regulations may be up in the air following the pandemic, but there are plenty of spots to hit.

The Eagles’ own specific parking lot is the K Lot right in front of the stadium. West of the Linc and closer to Broad, you have the parking lot for the Wells Fargo Center, the home of the Sixers and Flyers. East of the Linc is the fabled Jetro Lot. If you look over to the south side of Pattison Avenue across from the Jetro Lot, you’ll see the parking lot for Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Phillies.

All of the places are great to tailgate. Jetro has taken on sort of a mythical vibe as the wild “cool” party spot, and it is to a degree, but it’s not much different from what you’re going to find elsewhere. I say that as someone who’s been tailgating in Jetro for years and wants to get a “JETRO FOREVER” tattoo on my thigh.

Just pulling up to a parking lot and taking in the infectious, electric energy from all the fans around you, everyone connected with the sole goal of seeing the Eagles grab a win is thrilling. There’s more than that though: the act of tailgating itself!

There are levels to tailgating. If it’s you and a friend or a family member, maybe you just want to do something small and hang outside your car. Bring some chips, bring some ice cold beer to enjoy responsibly and maybe grab some hoagies to bring down with you. Carb loading is important!

You can upgrade from there. Bring a truck or a van and break out the grill! Throw some classic burgers and dogs on there or even take it up a notch and cook some steaks. Bring some folding tables and a generator so you can use a crockpot and get the roast pork going.

If you’re getting to the lots early, a breakfast spread could be in play. Believe me, people get there EARLY. Cars will be lined up before the lots even officially open with long-time tailgaters racing to get “their spots.” Maybe you’ll be the FIRST person in line like this guy:

I tailgate with a guy named Brian. Phenomenal chef. When we would get to Jetro at the crack of dawn, he would cook up a mean breakfast on the grill. What more in life could you want than to eat a scrapple, egg and cheese sandwich in a cold parking lot while wearing full head-to-toe Eagles gear? NOTHING!

Grilling is smart if you have a ton of people congregating together and have a good cook. You can be pumping out food all day easily. Hoagie trays work for a big crew too! Don’t forget some chips and dip because you KNOW you’re going to be snacking while imbibing.

As for drinking... again, I think I’m required to say DRINK RESPONSIBLY here. If you need to, you’re allowed to leave your car in the lot rather than driving home afterwards. You have to be smart!

But if you are drinking, that first sip of beer when you get to the lot is unmatched. I would never pound craft beers all day, but if that’s your style, go wild. A refreshing light beer goes a long way. At some point, you may see people walking around selling Jell-O shots. I can’t comment on what is actually in those shots because I have no idea, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t bought some before.

If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of driving and cooking, you can still get in on the fun. Grab some cold ones, maybe some snacks and just walk into any empty lot and find an open spot to post up. It feels like many moons ago, but in 2019, I would fly a Bleeding Green Nation flag and use my spot as a home base for BGN readers to stop by and say hello if they don’t have full tailgate setups of their own. It will likely continue in 2021 with tailgating hopefully back to normal!

Have fun. Don’t be a nitwit. Go Birds.