The Detroit Lions play the Washington Commanders in the NFL divisional round game at Ford Field at 8 p.m. Saturday, January 18. To say it's going to be busy downtown this weekend is an understatement. Keep in mind that the Auto Show runs through January 20 at Huntington Place and the Pistons have a home game at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday at 4 p.m.
If you're planning to go to the game or watch it from one of the many local restaurants and bars showing it downtown, make sure you know where you're parking and what your options are.
Why plan ahead? We've already seen instances of parking lot owners price gouging in advance of the game. The city is cracking down, but you can expect to pay upwards of $100 the closer you get to the field.
If you're close to downtown, you can always park in Midtown or New Center and take the Qline in for free. The People Mover (also free) runs a loop around downtown if you're parking more on the westside of the area. And DDOT is available throughout the city.
If you're in the suburbs, SMART has park and ride shuttle services running throughout metro Detroit to get you to the game. It will cost $2 each way for the service, with departures around the region every hour from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. to Grand Circus Park, and returning service starting at 9 p.m. through midnight. Find more details in this guide.
If you insist on parking downtown, try SpotHero.com and ParkWhiz.com to find available spots. If you find a spot on the street, make sure you have the Park Detroit app. Parking garages and lots are likely to fill up fast.
Or you can stay at home and watch on Fox. Go Lions!
