‘Jurassic Park’ playoff tailgate party returns for Raptors fans

Supporters can enter draw for free tickets to cheer on team at Maple Leafs Square

Published Apr 17, 2026  •  Last updated 10 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Raptors fans cheer after the team beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, during a viewing party in "Jurassic Park" outside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, June 13, 2019. Photo by Cole Burston /Getty Images

“Jurassic Park” is returning to the grounds outside Scotiabank Arena as the Raptors open the NBA playoffs in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon.

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The team says Maple Leaf Square — nicknamed “Jurassic Park” — will be the scene of the playoff tailgate party that will include exclusive giveaways, in-square activations, special guests, a live DJ, and more.

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The Raptors return to the post-season after four seasons. They will tip off against the Cavaliers at 1 p.m. Saturday in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff matchup.

On Saturday, the team said Maple Leaf Square gates will open to fans starting at 11 a.m. The on-stage programming will begin at 11:30 a.m.

Access to the tailgate will close at the end of halftime, the team added.

Free pass required to enter tailgate

The Raptors said fans will be required to have a free mobile pass to enter the tailgate party.

To obtain the digital pass, fans can enter a draw for up to two non-transferable passes per game on Raptors Fan Access via the team’s mobile app starting at 9 a.m. on gamedays. Entries will end at noon and the team will notify fans who were selected at 1 p.m. that same day.

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Difficulty entering draw

However, some fans on social platform X were not happy to learn about the need to enter a draw for the free passes.

“Remember the days when we would just queue up … not everything needs to be through an app,” one supporter said.

Others encountered some difficulty entering the draw

“How can we be in the tailgate when you can’t even let us enter the draw?” one fan asked in a post that included a screenshot of an error message after they attempted to enter the draw.

“What a joke. Just do what the Jays did and host it at Nathan Phillips, worked for everyone.”

One fan found out they didn’t have access through the mobile app for some unknown reason while another poked fun at the required digital entries.

“A raffle?????? For the honour of standing outside?????”

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