Powers Field at Princeton Stadium - Princeton Tigers
Updated: Oct 22
Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
Powers Field at Princeton Stadium
500 Ivy Lane
Princeton, NJ 08540
Year Opened: 1997
Capacity: 27,800
Ivy League Roars
Powers Field at Princeton Stadium opened on September 19, 1998, with a win over Cornell. The new stadium replaced the old facility, Palmer Stadium, which had served the Princeton Tigers’ football team for 82 years. In all, the Ivy League Tigers have been playing football on this same site since 1914.
Two very unique features of Princeton Stadium are, first, the 32-foot-high climbing wall built into the structural supports in the southeast corner of the venue. The climbing wall is 66 feet across and is used for rock climbing classes at Princeton, as well as for recreational climbing by students and faculty.
The second unique feature is even more impressive, however – following the last home football game of each year, a climate-controlled inflatable dome is set up within the walls of the stadium, allowing the field to be used for sports during the brutal 5 or 6-month New Jersey winter. Teams such as lacrosse, soccer, rugby, and flag football use the turf inside the bubble, with nets separating different sections so multiple groups can use it at the same time.
Food & Beverage 4
Princeton Stadium has a ton of different concession options at reasonable prices, ranging from hot dogs, pizza, brisket sandwiches, and walking tacos to burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches. These items start at around $5 for a hot dog and go up to $12 for the brisket. The stands here even offer a vegetarian burger option, black bean.
For snacks, you can find items such as pretzels, popcorn, packaged candy, chips, and cotton candy running from $3 to $6, while drinks include Powerade, canned water, fountain soda, coffee, and hot cocoa, with all beverages under $4. Offering coffee and hot cocoa is a major plus during cold weather football games up here in the north.
Note that different stands offer different items, but all options are sold on both sides of the facility.
Atmosphere 4
Even though the crowd may not be very big, Princeton puts on a great show here at Powers Field. There are giveaways and a bouncy house out on the lawn between the parking garage and the field, which make the day a little more fun, especially if you have little ones. There are also a pair of shiny metal tiger statues outside the stadium, which are fun to take a picture of or a selfie with, and the tiger stripe decor all around the venue really pops.
While the Princeton band is not very large (barely a dozen), there is a mascot on hand to entertain the crowd, and the staff plays a lot of fun music during breaks in the action to get fans up and moving.
Neighborhood 3
Princeton is a small town of just over 30,000 residents who are packed into a small geographic footprint, so the area is highly walkable. The restaurant scene here is a mix of historic taverns and fast-casual eateries that cater to students; the latter offer fare such as burgers, Mexican, and pizza. There are also a few sports bar-type options in the area such as Alchemist & Barrister, although these tend to be more boutique eateries located inside historic buildings than your typical chain restaurants with neon signs on the walls.
There are a couple of hotels in the immediate vicinity of Princeton Stadium, though these tend to be high-end and more costly. More modest lodging options can be found outside of town about 3 to 5 miles from the stadium, for example out along Route 1.
The attractions here tend to be historic in nature, for example, touring the former home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Fans 3
There will not be a ton of fans here during a typical game – you’ll see a large crowd in the lower-level sections just beneath the press box, but mostly an empty stadium everywhere else, including on the visitor side. Still, the fans who show up do make some noise, cheer at the right times, and seem very engaged. The crowd does appear to be mostly alums of the school, without much of a student presence.
Access 4
Traffic in the vicinity can be pretty brutal depending on where you are coming from, with New York City and Philadelphia both about equidistant from Princeton. However, the immediate area around Princeton Stadium is not very crowded, as it is a couple of miles off the main roads, and there will not be big crowds to contend with as you come and go.
Once you get to the facility, the best place to park is in the Stadium Parking Garage, where it won’t take much time to exit after the game since there aren’t very many cars here. From there, it is a little bit of a walk to the football stadium, past some other athletic fields, but once you get inside Princeton Stadium, you should have smooth sailing. There are plenty of bathrooms, and each concession stand is set up like a grab-and-go, with two cashiers assigned to each so the lines move fast. The concourse is also virtually empty.
Return on Investment 4
Tickets to Princeton football games are $20, and I think that is a perfectly reasonable cost. The venue feels clean and modern despite being almost 30 years old, and the crowd is very polite. There is enough decor and activity during breaks in the action to keep fans entertained, and there are small scoreboards on each of the interior walls, so no matter where you are sitting, you should easily be able to read one. The mascot is fun to watch, and even though the band is tiny, they put on a good show before the game and at halftime.
Extras 3
Princeton football does some interesting things to add a bit of flair to the experience, for example, bringing in a guy with an electric guitar to play the National Anthem. I thought that was a great take on what is usually a solemn moment in the game, both fun and unique.
Final Thoughts
I would definitely recommend a visit to Powers Field at Princeton Stadium to see a Tigers football game. It is a great experience with no crowds to fight, and pretty easy on the wallet as well. Make time to see these Ivy League Tigers when you can!
