"It might be weird to like have fewer people in the stadium, but if anything, it might be a little more fun because it won't be as crowded," Jaguars fan Dave Hopkins told First Coast News before the Sept. 13 opener against the Browns.
He has a point about the inside of the building. The bigger change is outside it. For the 2026 season, EverBank Stadium holds about 27,000 fewer people than usual. Those fans still watch the game. They watch it on a 30-foot LED wall downtown, on a patio in Jacksonville Beach, or at a ballpark watch party, and they rely on a transit system that gets noticeably smaller after Nov. 1.
Where 27,308 seats went
The Jaguars' Stadium of the Future FAQ puts 2026 capacity at 42,465, with 27,308 seats offline. Of those, 22,005 are in the upper bowl, the 400 Level. The rest are spread across the 200 Level corners over the tunnels, select North End Zone rows, lower South End Zone seating, lower-level Club seats and the Terrace Suite. The North End Zone Spa Deck and the Sky Patio are closed too.
The building also works differently. You can no longer walk gate to gate along the plaza level. Fans are sent to a recommended ticket gate, or they use the 360-degree loop on the main concourse, and the team says those gate recommendations may change as the season goes on.
Fewer seats has meant higher prices for the seats that are left. Mathew Smith, owner of SportsMania in Jacksonville Beach, told First Coast News that "the lower bowl has a higher price, but it's not deterring as many folks as I think is expected." In the same story, Happy Hour Sports described a partnership with the Jaguars that offers discounted home-game tickets, with part of the proceeds going to the Bryant Strong Foundation.
Parking did not shrink with the seating. The Jaguars say the number of lots matches 2025, and they expect traffic to be about the same. In practice, that means the same parking footprint downtown for 27,000 fewer stadium seats.
Halloween weekend, with the rivalry in Atlanta
The emptiest football weekend downtown comes next. For the first time in this rebuild, the Florida–Georgia game is somewhere else. Georgia's athletics site lists the 2026 game for Saturday, Oct. 31, at 3:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. In 2027 it moves to Tampa. The schools and the city have agreed to bring it back to Jacksonville from 2028 through 2031, once the new stadium is open.
So on Halloween this year, the stadium district has no rivalry game, no RV City and no downtown crowd for Florida–Georgia weekend. The Jaguars play at home the next day.
Colts Sunday is the Skyway's last weekend
The Nov. 1 game against Indianapolis is the first home date after the Florida–Georgia Saturday. It also falls on the last day before JTA pauses the Skyway. News4JAX reported on Sept. 17 that JTA plans to suspend Skyway passenger service starting Nov. 2. The move saves about $10 million during the fiscal year while the agency and the community decide the system's future. It is part of a $139 million budget, down from $178 million the year before. JTA's Skyway page says weekend trains run only for special events. Check that page before you plan on riding to the Colts game.
Buses change the same day. Jacksonville Today reported that weekday bus service moves to a Saturday schedule starting Nov. 2:
- First Coast Flyer lines stay at every 20 minutes.
- Routes 1, 3, 8, 10 and 19 run every 30 minutes.
- Twelve other routes run every 60 minutes.
- Paratransit and Connexion Plus are not affected.
That leaves three ways to the stadium for the Nov. 29, Dec. 14 and Week 17 home games without parking at the stadium yourself:
| Option | Where it picks up | Cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars game-day shuttles | Lots S, X and Z, Metropolitan Park, Old Cypress Lot | Free, ticketed fans only | Three hours before kickoff to one hour after, paused during play |
| JTA Gameday Xpress | Kings Avenue, FSCJ Downtown, Jacksonville Beach, Northside | $10 downtown lots, $15 suburban lots, round trip with parking | Game-specific boarding times |
| St. Johns River Taxi | River docks | $20 all-day round-trip pass | Three hours before kickoff until the dock clears |
The Jaguars' parking page says stadium lot passes are sold out for 2026, though cash lots nearby are still available. Lots open four hours before kickoff and close two hours after the game. The River Taxi operator says it runs three to four boats on game days. JTA's Gameday Xpress page already lists buses for the Nov. 29, Dec. 14 and Washington games, and boarding times for the Week 17 game are still TBD.
Leaving is the hard part. After the opener, News4JAX reported that only one southbound lane would be open on the Main Street Bridge, that westbound traffic could be sent toward the Acosta Bridge, and that rideshare pickup was moved to Beaver Street near Lot Z.
Where the overflow watches
Downtown and Jacksonville Beach businesses saw this coming. In a News4JAX report from the home opener, the owner of The Block Jax said they expected more customers with the stadium at roughly half capacity and wanted the bar to feel like the stadium. The Block Jax hosts Jaguars watch parties every Sunday on a 30-foot LED wall, and general admission is free.
Jacksonville Beach changed its rules for game days. The City Council approved a two-year pilot for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Qualifying bars and restaurants can expand outdoor service from one hour before kickoff until one hour after Jaguars home games. "What that means is that they can serve alcohol and food and everything like that outside of their main restaurant footprint," Mayor Chris Hoffman told First Coast News. Before the vote, First Coast News reported that no more than six temporary permits would be available per home game, first come, first served. The plan also calls for fencing, security for alcohol service and valet or similar arrangements wherever an expansion takes up parking spaces. On a home Sunday, expect fenced patios in the spots where cars usually park.
The team runs its own off-site events too, including two on the Thursday after the Colts game:
- Nov. 5, Ravens, VyStar Ballpark. The Jaguars are hosting a Thursday Night Football watch party at 301 A. Philip Randolph Blvd. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and kickoff is 8:15 p.m., per News4JAX.
- Nov. 5 and Nov. 22, Mr. Chubby's Fleming Island. This one is at 2349 Village Square Pkwy., Unit 101. It is on the team's official watch-party schedule, which also included Mr. Chubby's Westside at 11043 Crystal Springs Rd. and Mr. Chubby's Ponte Vedra earlier in the season.
The four home dates left, and the bowl after them
Here is the rest of the downtown football calendar, from the Jaguars' 2026 schedule and the Gameday Xpress listings:
- Sunday, Nov. 1: Indianapolis. This is the last day before the Skyway pause.
- Sunday, Nov. 29: Tennessee.
- Dec. 14: Pittsburgh.
- Week 17, date TBD: Washington.
- Dec. 30, 11:30 a.m.: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
The Gator Bowl played in December 2026 is the last one at this stadium for two years. The December 2027/January 2028 game goes to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, and the bowl returns for the first game in the new stadium in December 2028/January 2029.
Next fall, the downtown pull disappears entirely. On March 31, 2026, NFL owners approved a one-year lease for the Jaguars to play the 2027 season at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The team lists August 2028 as the planned opening of the Stadium of the Future. The rebuilt stadium will have a base capacity of more than 63,000 and can expand past 70,000. The Jacksonville Beach patio pilot runs through the 2027 season, even though no home games will be played in Jacksonville that year.
The stadium, the Skyway and the downtown streets around them are all changing at once. If you own a home near the stadium district and want to know what that means for your plans, RCRE Group can walk you through what's happening on your street and what your home could bring today. When you're ready to talk numbers, Get Your Cash Offer.
