A Wednesday kickoff inside the working week
The 24th Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl runs Wednesday, December 23, 2026 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. The bowl announced that slot in a release dated June 3, 2026. The 2026 edition marks the 11th time the bowl has been played before Christmas Day and the first since 2023. The stadium sits at 2850 Stadium Drive, Fort Worth 76129, on the TCU campus.
A Wednesday date gives a company two working days before the game and the holiday after it. A client group can travel in the morning, attend, and fly home the same evening or stay one night.
The suite: $5,000 for 20 seats, 4 parking passes and 35 veteran tickets
The bowl's ticket page publishes one suite product and its full entitlement list. A suite costs $5,000. It carries 20 seats, four VIP parking passes, and 35 tickets donated to veterans. That is 55 admissions tied to one room.
The unit economics follow from the published figures. The 20 seats work out to $250 each. Across all 55 admissions the suite works out to $90.91 each. The veteran tickets are the bowl's own allocation, so a buyer should ask how names are submitted and whether the donation can be credited to the company.
The waitlist starts with TCU suite holders and corporate partners
Suite inventory moves through a queue. The bowl states that a completed suite form places the buyer next in line and that staff make contact after the annual process of offering suites to all current TCU suite holders and corporate partners. A first-time buyer joins behind that group.
Two facts matter for planning. The bowl announces participating teams in early December, and the home team takes the East Sideline once the matchup is set. A suite commitment made now lands before either fact is known.
The clock that fixes the day
Parking lots open 4.5 hours before kickoff. For a 4:30 p.m. start that is noon. The CrossCountry Mortgage Tailgate Outpost opens 3 hours before kickoff, at 1:30 p.m. Stadium gates open 1.5 to 2 hours before kickoff, between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m.
RV parking sits in lot 13RV at $50 per pass, and that lot opens on the morning of the game. ADA spaces sit in each lot on a first-come basis. Pre-purchased ADA spaces are in the Frog Alley garage on the north side of the stadium.
Buses park at Overton Center
General bus parking and alumni bus parking both sit at Overton Center, 4100 International Plaza, Fort Worth 76109. Buses drop passengers at Lot 1 on Bellaire Drive and then proceed to Overton Center. Drivers return for pickup near the end of the game.
The bowl recommends pre-purchasing parking. It also states that parking timing will be determined after the matchup is announced, so a coach operator should confirm the lot window in early December.
Digital tickets at the gate
Every ticket is digital and delivered to a mobile device. The bowl publishes no game-day ticket office sales and no fan will call windows. Player Will Call sits at the ticket office windows near gate 6.
The FAQ treats children two and under as lap children. The ticket terms on the same site state that all persons, regardless of age, must present a ticket. Merchandise sells in the CrossCountry Mortgage Tailgate Outpost area and on the concourse inside the stadium.
The night before
The Kickoff Luncheon runs Tuesday, December 22 at 11:30 a.m. at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. The bowl describes the event as open to the public and says tickets go on sale in the fall. A client group arriving Tuesday gains a second hosted room on the same trip.
Rooms: two team hotels, no published rate
The bowl's FAQ names the team hotels as the Omni Fort Worth Hotel and the Worthington Renaissance. It publishes no nightly rate, no block code and no cut-off date for either property.
The bookMyTeam Fort Worth directory lists 255 hotels across the city. The platform prints group rates at 10 or more rooms a night, a saving band of 15-40% below the best available rate, and responses in 24 to 72 hours.
The request form sits on bookMyTeam's submit page, and the city list sits on its Fort Worth directory page.
What goes in the request
Five items belong in writing. Ask for the suite waitlist position in numbers. Ask whether the four VIP parking passes arrive as physical passes or digital. Ask how the 35 veteran tickets are issued and named. Ask for a room block with a cut-off date and one invoice. Ask the coach operator to confirm the Overton Center window once the matchup is announced.
The 4:30 p.m. kickoff sets the deadline for all five. A Wednesday game leaves no second morning for a fix.
