United Center

Only a small purse or personal bag up to 10"x6"x2" is allowed; backpacks and larger bags are not permitted.

Paid Binbox lockers are available at the Uber Zone (Madison St. & Wood St.) for larger bags — the venue itself doesn't check bags.

Max size

10"x6"x2"

Exceptions: Guests with required medical equipment are given exceptions.

Outside water bottles cannot be brought in — bottles and cans of any kind are on the prohibited items list.

Outside food is not permitted; the arena offers its own dining including gluten-free, kosher, vegetarian, and vegan options.

Required medical equipment and supplies (breast pumps, insulin, epi-pens, oxygen, incontinence supplies) may be carried in, subject to search.

If a medical bag exceeds the standard 10x6x2 bag limit, it must be at least 2/3 filled with medical supplies.

Outside alcoholic beverages are explicitly prohibited.

Outside cannabis/THC products cannot be brought in, covered by the general outside food/beverage ban.

Notably, United Center began selling hemp-derived THC beverages (5mg, 21+) at its own concessions for concerts and other non-league events starting Feb 2026 — a first for a major US arena. This does not change the answer for bringing your own in, and per the NBA/NHL, does not apply to Bulls or Blackhawks games.

Coolers are not permitted.

Not named verbatim on the official prohibited-items list, but covered by the explicit bans on outside food/beverage and bottles/cans.

Strollers are allowed but must be checked in at a Guest Relations booth (Gates 2 or 6, the Lexus Club Level, or the 300 Level).

Breast pumps are explicitly listed as allowed medical equipment, and the arena has a dedicated private Nursing Room near Section 112/113 (Gate 7).

Mobility devices are allowed, but guests without accessible seating must store the device at the nearest Guest Relations booth; wheelchair escorts are available on request.

Small non-flash still cameras are allowed at sporting events, but tripods, detachable-lens cameras, video/audio recorders, and selfie sticks are prohibited; concerts often ban cameras entirely.

Drones of any kind are prohibited.

Umbrellas of any size are prohibited.

Air horns and other artificial noisemakers are banned; flags, banners, and signs are allowed up to 8.5'x11' but can't be attached to poles or sticks.

Max size

8.5 ft x 11 ft (flags/banners/signs)

Weapons of any kind — guns, knives, ammunition, explosives, pepper spray, mace — are prohibited.

Smoking of any type is not permitted anywhere inside the arena or on the United Center campus.

Official text says "smoking of any type" without explicitly naming e-cigarettes/vapes, though Illinois's Smoke Free Act is generally understood to cover vaping too.

Masks are prohibited, though medical masks are permitted.

Exceptions: Medical masks allowed.

Only certified service animals or service animals in-training are allowed; other animals are prohibited.

Exceptions: Certified service animals / service animals in-training.

Re-entry into the arena is prohibited during all events.