Early-season Colts home games mean strong September sun, and three-plus hours on the wrong side of Lucas Oil Stadium is a bake. Here's exactly where the shade falls — by sideline, corner and row — plus a free interactive map that ray-traces the sun for your specific game and kickoff time.
Pick your game & kickoff — watch the shade move across the bowl through the game.
The field runs roughly NNE–SSW. That's the key to everything: as the afternoon sun swings to the southwest and west, it pours onto the east-southeast side of the bowl, while the west-northwest side slides into shade first — the stands rising behind those seats block the sun.
Roof note: Lucas Oil Stadium has a retractable roof, typically closed in extreme heat — when it's closed, every seat is shaded and the rest of this guide is moot. The guidance below applies when it's open.
| Seats | Why they're shaded |
|---|---|
| West-northwest sideline — upper rows | First to shade as the sun moves west; the stands behind block the late-day sun |
| West-northwest sideline — club/mid level | Shades through the afternoon as the shadow line walks down the bowl |
| WNW corners | Pick up shade early from the adjacent west-northwest stands |
| End zones (upper rows) | Intermediate — shade arrives after the west-northwest sideline but before the east-southeast side |
The east-southeast sideline faces the afternoon sun and bakes the longest — especially the low rows, which are the last seats anywhere to shade. For a 1pm kickoff, assume front-row seats on any side are in the sun for at least the first half.
Early kickoffs start with a high sun — almost everything open is lit, and the west-northwest side shades as the game goes on. Late-afternoon kickoffs are where seat choice matters most: the west-northwest side can be comfortable from kickoff while the east-southeast side stares into the sun. Night games are shade-safe everywhere. Our tool models your exact game date and kickoff time.
Ready to buy shaded seats?
🎟 Indianapolis Colts tickets on SeatGeekAffiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Shade predictions come from a 3D ray-traced model of the seating bowl combined with the exact solar position for your date and kickoff time. Use it to pick a side, level and row range, then confirm the precise seat on a ticket map. Independent tool; not affiliated with the NFL or any team.