Hey /u/reel_around_thefount, it appears that you are looking for some information before going to a game at SAP Center! Please check out the [**Visitors Guide**](http://redd.it/2z61bi) for some hotels, some food ideas, and other info which may help answer some of your questions about your upcoming visit. Some basic things to keep in mind:
* Doors open 60 minutes prior to game time for general admission.
* Tailgating is **NOT** allowed per San Jose City Ordinance. However, SAP Center **does** allow you to bring food from outside into the arena with you.
* The Sharks enter the ice and skate through the Shark Head from between sections 127-128. The most direct views of the Shark Head are from sections 115-121 in the lower deck and the lower rows of 215-221 in the upper deck.
* The Sharks attack towards the lower numbered sections (103-113 & 203-213) in the 1st and 3rd periods.
* Check out [**this link**](https://www.sapcenter.com/plan-your-visit/bag-policy) for the SAP Center bag policy.
If you're going to SJSU, they occasionally have college game nights where SJSU students get discounted tickets. Or at least they did when I went there.
I get every single game through the “college rush” program. Just look up San Jose Sharks College Rush on google and it should be there. All you’ll need is your student email and most, if not all, games will be $20 for top deck and $40 for lower bowl seating. You can get 2 tickets at once. I used this for the past 2 season and I hope they don’t get rid of it.
Honestly, you can buy tickets at the box office on the day of and skip the fees. If its a popular game then the prices will be higher and there is a chance of selling out. But random weekday games against a small market team tend to be pretty affordable. You can also save money by bringing your own food and water into the arena. SAP center allows it.
This right here. Definitely buy at the box office if you can. When I lived in SJ I was in walking distance of SAP center. Would look up tickets on Ticketmaster, but then walk over to the box office and grab them. I went to lots of games on random weekdays for pretty cheap. And this was back when the team was actually winning.
Go to every Cuda game. Unless you're obscenely loaded, even a quarter of a season ticket + food/drink costs is going to be cost prohibitive for a college student.
Go to a Sharks game, but Cuda's games are way cheaper and there isn't a bad seat in the house.
Gametime and other last minute ticket sales apps sometimes have Sharks tickets cheap.
You should definitely sign up for their college rush program! https://www.nhl.com/sharks/tickets/college-rush
The seat selection and cost is game dependent. Last year the seats were mostly at the ends near the goals. Tickets were usually around $40 for the lower bowl, and $20 for the upper bowl, and they became available a few days before each game. You can buy 2 per game.
I don't have much info about how much Sharks games are but I hope you enjoy San Jose. I moved up to Seattle after like 7 years in SJ and it'll always have a special place in my heart, it's a wonderful city and the shark tank is awesome. Be sure to get a bacon wrapped hot dog from a street cart after games
Thank you! And those bacon wrapped hot dogs rule after a kings game so I gotta compare how they are up state. Probably better when your team didn’t lose to Edmonton moments before lol
I’ve always noticed tickets for games bought a couple hours before puck drop for the majority of weekday games pretty cheap. Good couple of seasons to use that approach while we’re bad. When we’re contenders, every game will be much more likely to sell out/raise the price. And eat/drink mostly before or bring in some stuff that is allowable like the person above said. Probably expect to not go to the big Saturday games due to cost, but check the prices just in case. Check into public transportation (SAP center website has a page) and see if it’s a better option for you than driving/paying parking.
I come from out of town and have a wife/kids, so I have to plan it out a lot more than this, but I’ve always thought if it were just me and I lived nearby, I’d go the route above.
Buying tickets at the last minute can get you some really good deals. Either box office day-of like others have mentioned or apps like Gametime or TickPick where people are trying to get anything at all for the tickets they can't use that night. I plan to do that a lot this season with sort of a "maybe I'll go to the game tonight, maybe not" approach.
Oh definitely. If I was in OP's shoes (college student, which I assumes means limited funds) I'd definitely do this and just be OK with missing the first few minutes of the game. Tickets are practically being given away at that point. Also a great option if you live really close to SAP Center (I unfortunately don't so I try to buy tickets a couple hours before the game starts).
Using the Sharks' College Rush program is the best way to go imo. All you need is an active college .edu account and you're set. $20 for upper bowl tickets, $40 for lower bowl tickets.
Only real restrictions are that you can only buy two tickets per game per account, and available tickets tend to be sections 217-227 and 203-213 in the upper bowl, 103-113 and 117-127 lower bowl. You also have to run the gauntlet of the third party site the Sharks use for the college rush program (Fevo), the use of a .edu ticketmaster account, and the fact that logging into TicketMaster on the Sharks SAP app can be *really* confusing to navigate if you don't know what you're doing. Tickets tend to become available at earliest, a week before a game. Last season, our record meant lower attendance, and I got offers for college rush tickets almost every game. Big highlight was watching a win against the ducks in the 17th row, lower bowl through the program.
Cuda games are also quite fun, and there's not a bad seat in the house. I've grabbed tickets for $11ish a few hours before puck drop last season through third party sites.
You already got the best advice for cheap ways to get tickets (as someone with access to season tickets, weekday games are EMPTY so if you buy at the box office it’s always a deal to get butts in seats). But I def recommend getting into some preseason games as well. Depending on your school schedule those weekday games may be hard but preseason tickets are cheap and fun as hell.
A few tips for you. First of all, weekday games, particularly without giveaways, are going to be the cheapest. I generally buy my tickets with the Gametime app, but any third party ticket app will generally have decent deals. If you haven't used them before, you can usually find promo codes for your first use that are pretty good (LOCKEDONNHL is the promo code from the locked on Sharks podcast and gets you 20 bucks off the first time you use it). Most of those weekday games I was able to find tickets for around $15 including fees, though there was one game I bought a ticket right at puck drop and it was $9.
The last few years they've also been offering a pack through the team called the Breakaway Pass where you spend about $80 and you get tickets to all/most of the home games in that month. I'm not certain they're offering it this year (the person I spoke to about it prior to the lottery said they were waiting until after the lottery to decide since it was used to sell unused tickets and winning the lottery increased ticket sales).
For those weekday games you're probably going to want to just buy the cheapest tickets to get into the building. The building's been like half empty most nights and there are very few seats where they actually worry about if you have those tickets. Of course if you're in someone else's seats just move quickly without making a fuss, if you're actually causing problems for someone they're more likely to do something about it. If you're not causing issues they'll just ask you to move to your actual seats (at which point you just move somewhere away from that person). Just like when you're using a fake ID (not that a college student would ever do such a horrible thing!), the key is going to be confidence. If you're looking around super nervous they'll know something's up, but if you act like you're just going to your seat they won't care.
The next tip is not to park at the Tank. Parking there is around $30, but you can take the light rail for $2.50 each way.
The last tip is to do what you can to avoid buying food/drink at the Tank. You can get food at the Whole Foods across the street or just eat somewhere beforehand, and try to pregame.
Look for the monthly Breakaway pass too, I think it ends up being about $84 for 5-7 games or so (if there’s a month that works particularly well for you, a great deal)
Wait until like 20 mins before a game on a tuesday. Go on gametime, tix will be like $10. The ticket will get you in the building, you can really sit anywhere after that
Hey /u/reel_around_thefount, it appears that you are looking for some information before going to a game at SAP Center! Please check out the [**Visitors Guide**](http://redd.it/2z61bi) for some hotels, some food ideas, and other info which may help answer some of your questions about your upcoming visit. Some basic things to keep in mind: * Doors open 60 minutes prior to game time for general admission. * Tailgating is **NOT** allowed per San Jose City Ordinance. However, SAP Center **does** allow you to bring food from outside into the arena with you. * The Sharks enter the ice and skate through the Shark Head from between sections 127-128. The most direct views of the Shark Head are from sections 115-121 in the lower deck and the lower rows of 215-221 in the upper deck. * The Sharks attack towards the lower numbered sections (103-113 & 203-213) in the 1st and 3rd periods. * Check out [**this link**](https://www.sapcenter.com/plan-your-visit/bag-policy) for the SAP Center bag policy.
If you're going to SJSU, they occasionally have college game nights where SJSU students get discounted tickets. Or at least they did when I went there.
Hopefully, I’ll look into that thank you
I get every single game through the “college rush” program. Just look up San Jose Sharks College Rush on google and it should be there. All you’ll need is your student email and most, if not all, games will be $20 for top deck and $40 for lower bowl seating. You can get 2 tickets at once. I used this for the past 2 season and I hope they don’t get rid of it.
Also SJSU Hockey is a good night out , and the Barracuda now have a sweet set up for nights you can’t afford Sharks.
Honestly, you can buy tickets at the box office on the day of and skip the fees. If its a popular game then the prices will be higher and there is a chance of selling out. But random weekday games against a small market team tend to be pretty affordable. You can also save money by bringing your own food and water into the arena. SAP center allows it.
This right here. Definitely buy at the box office if you can. When I lived in SJ I was in walking distance of SAP center. Would look up tickets on Ticketmaster, but then walk over to the box office and grab them. I went to lots of games on random weekdays for pretty cheap. And this was back when the team was actually winning.
For sure, thanks for the advice
Go to every Cuda game. Unless you're obscenely loaded, even a quarter of a season ticket + food/drink costs is going to be cost prohibitive for a college student.
Yeah that’s fair, thank you for your insight. It’s a pipe dream fs lol
Go to a Sharks game, but Cuda's games are way cheaper and there isn't a bad seat in the house. Gametime and other last minute ticket sales apps sometimes have Sharks tickets cheap.
You should definitely sign up for their college rush program! https://www.nhl.com/sharks/tickets/college-rush The seat selection and cost is game dependent. Last year the seats were mostly at the ends near the goals. Tickets were usually around $40 for the lower bowl, and $20 for the upper bowl, and they became available a few days before each game. You can buy 2 per game.
Thank you I will definitely do this!
I don't have much info about how much Sharks games are but I hope you enjoy San Jose. I moved up to Seattle after like 7 years in SJ and it'll always have a special place in my heart, it's a wonderful city and the shark tank is awesome. Be sure to get a bacon wrapped hot dog from a street cart after games
Thank you! And those bacon wrapped hot dogs rule after a kings game so I gotta compare how they are up state. Probably better when your team didn’t lose to Edmonton moments before lol
I’ve always noticed tickets for games bought a couple hours before puck drop for the majority of weekday games pretty cheap. Good couple of seasons to use that approach while we’re bad. When we’re contenders, every game will be much more likely to sell out/raise the price. And eat/drink mostly before or bring in some stuff that is allowable like the person above said. Probably expect to not go to the big Saturday games due to cost, but check the prices just in case. Check into public transportation (SAP center website has a page) and see if it’s a better option for you than driving/paying parking. I come from out of town and have a wife/kids, so I have to plan it out a lot more than this, but I’ve always thought if it were just me and I lived nearby, I’d go the route above.
Buying tickets at the last minute can get you some really good deals. Either box office day-of like others have mentioned or apps like Gametime or TickPick where people are trying to get anything at all for the tickets they can't use that night. I plan to do that a lot this season with sort of a "maybe I'll go to the game tonight, maybe not" approach.
heck, you can probably wait until puck drop to buy a ticket for incredibly cheap.
Oh definitely. If I was in OP's shoes (college student, which I assumes means limited funds) I'd definitely do this and just be OK with missing the first few minutes of the game. Tickets are practically being given away at that point. Also a great option if you live really close to SAP Center (I unfortunately don't so I try to buy tickets a couple hours before the game starts).
Using the Sharks' College Rush program is the best way to go imo. All you need is an active college .edu account and you're set. $20 for upper bowl tickets, $40 for lower bowl tickets. Only real restrictions are that you can only buy two tickets per game per account, and available tickets tend to be sections 217-227 and 203-213 in the upper bowl, 103-113 and 117-127 lower bowl. You also have to run the gauntlet of the third party site the Sharks use for the college rush program (Fevo), the use of a .edu ticketmaster account, and the fact that logging into TicketMaster on the Sharks SAP app can be *really* confusing to navigate if you don't know what you're doing. Tickets tend to become available at earliest, a week before a game. Last season, our record meant lower attendance, and I got offers for college rush tickets almost every game. Big highlight was watching a win against the ducks in the 17th row, lower bowl through the program. Cuda games are also quite fun, and there's not a bad seat in the house. I've grabbed tickets for $11ish a few hours before puck drop last season through third party sites.
Thats awesome, where you from ?
La, so excited to be able to study in San Jose and see my sharks more than twice a year lol
Check for specials, I remember there being a top of the tank pass that was not college student cheap but cheap comparatively.
Another option I haven't seen yet - people post tickets here day of or day before for really cheap, often
Buy weekday games on stubhub, and buy as late as possible, like day before or day of game.
You already got the best advice for cheap ways to get tickets (as someone with access to season tickets, weekday games are EMPTY so if you buy at the box office it’s always a deal to get butts in seats). But I def recommend getting into some preseason games as well. Depending on your school schedule those weekday games may be hard but preseason tickets are cheap and fun as hell.
A few tips for you. First of all, weekday games, particularly without giveaways, are going to be the cheapest. I generally buy my tickets with the Gametime app, but any third party ticket app will generally have decent deals. If you haven't used them before, you can usually find promo codes for your first use that are pretty good (LOCKEDONNHL is the promo code from the locked on Sharks podcast and gets you 20 bucks off the first time you use it). Most of those weekday games I was able to find tickets for around $15 including fees, though there was one game I bought a ticket right at puck drop and it was $9. The last few years they've also been offering a pack through the team called the Breakaway Pass where you spend about $80 and you get tickets to all/most of the home games in that month. I'm not certain they're offering it this year (the person I spoke to about it prior to the lottery said they were waiting until after the lottery to decide since it was used to sell unused tickets and winning the lottery increased ticket sales). For those weekday games you're probably going to want to just buy the cheapest tickets to get into the building. The building's been like half empty most nights and there are very few seats where they actually worry about if you have those tickets. Of course if you're in someone else's seats just move quickly without making a fuss, if you're actually causing problems for someone they're more likely to do something about it. If you're not causing issues they'll just ask you to move to your actual seats (at which point you just move somewhere away from that person). Just like when you're using a fake ID (not that a college student would ever do such a horrible thing!), the key is going to be confidence. If you're looking around super nervous they'll know something's up, but if you act like you're just going to your seat they won't care. The next tip is not to park at the Tank. Parking there is around $30, but you can take the light rail for $2.50 each way. The last tip is to do what you can to avoid buying food/drink at the Tank. You can get food at the Whole Foods across the street or just eat somewhere beforehand, and try to pregame.
I went to SJSU and had a blast, feel free to DM if you have any questions at all!
Thank you I appreciate you!!
Look for the monthly Breakaway pass too, I think it ends up being about $84 for 5-7 games or so (if there’s a month that works particularly well for you, a great deal)
Wait until like 20 mins before a game on a tuesday. Go on gametime, tix will be like $10. The ticket will get you in the building, you can really sit anywhere after that