New York Liberty host the Golden State Valkyries at Barclays Center tonight, Thursday, May 21, with tipoff at 8:00 PM ET. Doors open 90 minutes prior to tipoff per the official Barclays Center event page. Here is the service-only logistics walkthrough for getting in, getting around, and getting home — all sourced from Barclays Center and the MTA.
Venue address and entrances
Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217. Box office phone: (917) 618-6100.
There are seven official entrances. The two you will most likely use for general admission tonight:
- Main Atrium Entrance — corner of Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. CLEAR Members have a dedicated expedited lane here.
- Flatbush Entrance — the only arena entrance on Flatbush Avenue itself, useful if you are coming up Flatbush from the south.
Other official entrances: Qatar Airways VIP Entrance and Crown Entrance (both northwest corner on Atlantic Avenue), American Express Card Member Entrance (Atlantic Avenue), Lyft Atlantic Entrance (northeast corner on Atlantic Avenue), and Dean Entrance (southeast corner on Dean Street, with a dedicated lane for Nets Level Members).
Best transit option: the subway
Barclays Center is adjacent to one of the largest transit hubs in New York. Three official subway stations serve the arena:
- Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center Station (B, D, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4, 5) — located on Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue, directly at the arena. Walking time from the turnstile to your seat is essentially zero outdoor blocks.
- Lafayette Avenue Station (C) — Fulton Street and South Portland Avenue. Short walk north on South Portland to Atlantic.
- Fulton Street Station (G) — Fulton Street and Fort Greene Place. Also a short walk to the arena.
For real-time routing and service alerts, use the MTA Trip Planner.
LIRR option for Long Island riders
The LIRR pulls directly into Atlantic Terminal, which sits on top of the same complex. Per Barclays Center, Atlantic Terminal is about 20 minutes from Jamaica Station. Barclays notes that late-night LIRR service from Atlantic Terminal is generally provided for evening events on weeknights and weekends, up to roughly 2 AM. Confirm the exact return train for your branch on the LIRR schedule page before you leave home — schedules vary by line and by night.
Parking
Barclays Center has no dedicated arena garage open to the general public; the venue directs all event parking through SpotHero, its official parking partner. Book a garage in advance on the official Barclays Center parking page. Pricing is dynamic and depends on the garage and how early you book. The honest call for a Thursday-night WNBA game: the subway is faster, cheaper, and lets you skip post-game gridlock on Flatbush.
If you must drive — the official routes
Per Barclays Center driving directions:
- From Manhattan via Manhattan Bridge: Straight onto Flatbush Avenue Extension, continue onto Flatbush Avenue. For the Flatbush entrance, turn right at 4th Avenue, then left at the second light onto Pacific Street, then left on Flatbush.
- From Queens/Long Island: I-278 BQE West to Exit 29/Tillary Street, then left onto Flatbush Avenue Extension.
- From Staten Island/South Brooklyn: I-278 BQE East to Exit 27/Atlantic Avenue.
Bag policy and prohibited items
Barclays Center bag rule: bags must be no larger than 10″ x 6″ x 2″ and cannot be hard-sided. Anything bigger does not come in.
Other items the venue explicitly prohibits include outside food and beverage (with documented medical/dietary exceptions arranged in advance with Guest Services), cans and bottles, professional camera gear with detachable lenses, audio/video recording devices, selfie sticks and poles, coolers of any size, drones, laser pointers, noisemakers, and signs or banners larger than 11″x17″. The full list is on the official Prohibited Items page.
Note for sporting events: per the venue, 24 oz or smaller reusable water bottles are allowed in for certain sporting events. Glass is never allowed.
Re-entry — there isn’t any
Barclays Center has a no re-entry policy. Once you scan out, you cannot scan back in. Plan accordingly: eat before you go in, or wait until you’re inside. Don’t run out to your car for a phone charger and expect to get back to your seat.
Accessibility
Accessible entry is available at all general entrances; the Main Atrium Entrance at Flatbush and Atlantic is the most direct from the Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center subway station and Atlantic Terminal. For specific accommodations, accessible seating, sensory accommodations, or service-animal questions, contact Barclays Center Guest Services at 917-618-6111 or guestservices@barclayscenter.com, or consult the Disabled Services A to Z Guide.
Restrooms
Restrooms are distributed on every concourse inside the arena and are clearly marked on the venue’s interior signage. If you need a restroom before going through security, the Atlantic Terminal mall directly connected to the subway/LIRR complex has public restrooms accessible during mall operating hours.
Food: what to know before doors
Because Barclays Center is a no-re-entry venue and outside food is not permitted, the practical pre-game move is to eat in the surrounding Atlantic Avenue / Fort Greene / Park Slope neighborhoods before walking over, or to plan on eating inside. The official venue food and beverage directory is on the Barclays Center Food & Beverage page. For nearby outside dining we recommend cross-checking current hours directly on each restaurant’s own page before walking — Thursday-night hours change.
Getting home after the game
A WNBA game runs roughly two hours plus pre-game and timeouts. With an 8:00 PM tip, plan to be back at the turnstiles around 10:30 PM. At that hour, all three nearby subway lines (Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center hub, Lafayette Avenue, Fulton Street) are running normal weeknight service. For exact next-train times and any late-night service changes, check the MTA service status page on your way out. LIRR riders should already have a return train picked from the LIRR Atlantic Terminal timetable before tipoff.
Bottom line
Take the subway. Keep your bag under 10″x6″x2″. Don’t try to leave and come back. Confirm your return train before tipoff. Everything in this guide comes directly from barclayscenter.com and mta.info — the only two sources worth trusting for this kind of logistics.
