Going to see the Canes and the Canadiens? Parking will be (even) more expensive
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- General parking for Thursday’s Canes-Canadiens game costs $53 if bought in advance.
- On-site, game-night parking at the Lenovo Center is more expensive: $75.
- Parking prices have gone up over the years and as the Canes advance in the playoffs.
As the Carolina Hurricanes continue to advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, parking at the Lenovo Center keeps getting more expensive.
Fans attending Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, the start of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Final, must shell out $53 in advance to purchase a general parking pass for cars and vans. That’s up $8 from the last round, when the Canes played against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Paying for parking on site the night of the game is even more expensive. It was $60 during the series against the Flyers. It’s $75 now.
And that’s just for parking. As of Wednesday morning, the cheapest tickets available for Thursday’s game against the Habs were about $220 a pop. And that’s for a seat in the 300 level. Buying food, drinks or merchandise at the Lenovo Center will add even more to the bill.
But, as The News & Observer previously reported, parking at the Raleigh arena hasn’t always cost this much — even during the 2006 Stanley Cup finals run.
Full story: Some Canes fans pay $60 to park. How much was it during 2006 Stanley Cup run?
Here are key takeaways:
- Parking for Game 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers on May 4 cost $45 before tax if purchased in advance, or $60 on-site. In 2006, fans paid just $7 to park at a Stanley Cup finals game in Raleigh.
- Ticket prices have also increased. During the 2006 Stanley Cup finals, Canes fans paid Ticketmaster $400 for four seats in section 316, The N&O wrote at the time. Four seats to a Round 2 game in that same section cost $566 before taxes and fees today.
- Concessions are pricier, too. Some Canes fans spent $50 on sodas, nachos, popcorn and beer for a group of four in 2006. During the series against the Flyers, a single draft beer and order of popcorn at the Lenovo Center would cost $30 — more than half of that.
- Despite the costs, fans previously told The N&O that seeing games, especially playoff games, is worth it.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by Renee Umsted. The full story in the link at top was reported and written by Renee Umsted.
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Going to see the Canes and the Canadiens? Parking will be (even) more expensive."
