ENTERING THE CIRCUIT

Please expect your luggage to be checked at the entrance. See what items you can take with you and what you should leave at home. Whether it's fan merchandise or food and drink. We don't recommend trying to sneak items past the organisers. If you are found with a prohibited item, it will be confiscated and disposed of. In extreme cases, you may even be banned from entering.

Tickets

You can only enter the circuit with a valid ticket. You can either have it electronically or printed on paper. Our tip is clear - keep your ticket on your mobile phone and be ready to show it. However, it is a good idea to have a backup printed version. If everything goes well, you won't even have to take it out of your pocket.
We recommend buying your tickets online. It takes less than two minutes and you’re ready to go. Check out the best prices here, but don't wait too long, some tickets are already sold out! You can choose from seated, general admission, or natural grandstand tickets with no seat reservations.
Each code is valid for one entry. Do not send your ticket to anyone you do not trust, otherwise they may misuse it. If you leave the circuit for part of the day, be sure to have your ticket re-tagged by security. If you do not do so, you will not be able to return to the circuit on the same day. The ticket is not linked to a specific user. Therefore, more than one person can use the same ticket on the circuit on the same day.

TICKETS

Parking

In the case of COTA, spectators have several options for parking their cars. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, let's explain them in more detail.

Official parking lots

The number one option is to use the official parking lot that COTA offers. This option has one major advantage - if you use the official parking area, you can park relatively close to the circuit. On the other hand, such parking is VERY expensive. Prices range from around $180 and the cost to park one car can go up to almost $300!

In addition, note that traffic around COTA is not good during the race weekend and it can take several extra hours to get directly to the track.

Unofficial parking lots

While the unofficial parking lots are not as close to the COTA circuit (often around a 15 to20 20-minute walk from the grand prize venue), they offer many benefits.

The main one is the price - compared to official parking areas, it can be several times lower. The same is true for transport, by not having these car parks right by the circuit, they are more accessible and there is a good chance you will save a lot of time in traffic.

Although unofficial car parks are often run by private individuals, some of these car parks have official websites where you can make reservations - if this option is available, we certainly recommend it.

If you are going to pay for parking on the spot, we recommend bringing cash (credit cards may not be accepted).

You can find more details about unofficial parking lots here.

Official shuttle

The COTA circuit organises Shuttle bus rides for its visitors. While the shuttle bus operation for the 2024 edition has not yet been confirmed, last year (2023) it was possible to use the shuttle buses from three different locations:

Austin Downtown (Waterloo Park/Moody Amphitheater)

Price: 3-day ticket = $129 (single-day tickets = $45 if purchased in advance)
Note: Parking is available for $20 per day in the parking garage between Trinity and San Jacinto Streets. The drop-off zone is just at the circuit!
Ride duration: Approximately 25 minutes (it could be much more on race day)

Northeast Austin (Travis County Expo Center)

Price: 3-day ticket = $89 (single-day tickets = $29 if purchased in advance)
Note: You can park your car near the pickup point. The drop-off zone is at McAngus Road (15 minutes of walk from the circuit)
Ride duration: Approximately 25 minutes (it could be much more on race day)

Southwest Austin (Barton Creek Square Mall)

Price: 1-day ticket = $45 if purchased in advance
Note: operates on Saturday and Sunday only. The drop-off zone is at McAngus Road (15 minutes of walk from the circuit)
Ride duration: Approximately 25 minutes (it could be much more on race day)

The first shuttle buses usually leave around 7:00 in the morning. Keep in mind that it's a good idea to be in line earlier so you don't have to stand in line for a long time afterwards.

To account for traffic and queues at the circuit entrances, arrive at the site as early as possible. There will already be a line for the 7 am drop-off, so if you can, get there early to try to get a seat on one of the first buses. On Friday and Saturday, the last departure to the circuit is at 6:30 pm, while on Sunday, when the race is on, it's at 2 pm. Buses from the circuit run for about an hour after the concerts are over (Friday and Saturday). On Sunday they run until everyone is off the circuit.

We recommend buying shuttle bus tickets online in advance (on the official COTA website).

Opening hours of the circuit

For 2024, COTA's circuit gates will open at 8:30 am on Friday and Saturday, and at 8:00 am on Sunday. Access to the official parking lot will open at 8:00 am on Friday and Saturday, and at 7:30 am on Sunday.