How to Comfortably Attend the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament in 2025

If you follow tennis in any capacity, you likely know about the annual Indian Wells Tennis Tournament! Every year, this tournament is both a player-favorite and crowd-favorite that promises excitement, upsets, and thrilling tennis! So, whether it’s your first time attending or you’re just interested in picking up some tips…here’s everything you need to know to comfortably attend the Indian Wells Tournament in 2025!

What Is the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament?

The Indian Wells Tennis Tournament is one of the most popular and highly anticipated tennis tournaments in the world! Since 1987, the annual event has taken place in Southern California and has been regarded as one of the WTA 1000 and Masters 1000 events. It’s also recognized as one of the largest sporting events that takes place in California every year.

In fact, the size, amount of money involved, and scale of this event are so impressive that it’s often referred to as “the fifth grand slam!” And as someone who has attended Wimbledon, Roland Garros twice and the US Open, I can definitely confirm the truth in this moniker!

For those that don’t know, a Masters 1000 event means that 1000 points are awarded to the winner. This is compared to an ATP/WTA 500 or 250 event, where 500 and 250 points are awarded to the winner, respectively. Varying amounts of fewer points are awarded to the eliminated players corresponding to which stage they exit the tournament. These points are good until the tournament occurs the following year and often contribute to the players ranking. You can read more information on the ranking system on the official ATP site or the official WTA site.

🎾 NOTE: Although this post says Indian Wells Tennis Tournament, I’ll also use the name BNP Paribas Open, which is a synonymous name for the tournament 🙂

Where Is the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament?

As you can likely tell from the name, the tournament is held every year in the small desert town of Indian Wells, California. This city is part of the Greater Palm Springs area and offers guests stunning views of the Southern California desert region. More specifically though, the BNP Paribas Open takes place at the beautiful Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

It’s unlike any other tournament because this massive, extremely attractive venue is smack in the middle of a vast, dry, and hot desert. Most other 1000 tournaments are held in giant metropolitan cities, such as Montreal, Paris, Rome, and Monaco.

And with the amount of money and wealth surrounding the tournament, the venue is often advertised as being “Tennis Paradise“. You’ll find everything from a wide gamut of restaurants and food stands, fancy Instagram-worthy photo opportunities, canopied rest areas, merch shops, and more! It truly is the biggest, and one of the most iconic tournaments outside the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Indian Wells Tournament Dates

Although the dates of the two-week event change from year to year, the Indian Wells tennis tournament typically occurs at the beginning of March. For the 2025 season, the official dates are March 2-16. However, there are smaller tennis sessions and charity events available to the public that occur a few days before the official tournament start date.

BNP Paribas Indian Wells Schedule

Below, you’ll find the official BNP Paribas Indian Wells Schedule. As you can see the ATP and WTA Singles Finals are both played on the final Sunday, which is different from the regular Grand Slam schedules.

To see the draws and the order of play, you’ll have to check the official BNP Paribas Open site daily during the tournament. On site, they also have giant boards with the draws posted and electronic signs indicating when and where players are practicing.

🎾 PRO TIP: I recommend downloading the BNP Paribas Open app. It’s been pretty useful in past years for attending the tournament.

BNP Paribas Tickets

Alright, now it’s time to dive into all things BNP Paribas Tickets.

How Much Does It Cost to Go to the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament?

There are lots of different packages available if you want to include hospitality, travel accommodations, or other special experiences. As a result, prices widely vary. The cheapest ticket is a grounds pass. This costs $30-60 USD depending on the day and it allows you access to all the non-reserved areas in courts 2-9. Meanwhile, series and travel packages, box seats, and other tickets with perks can cost anything from $100 to upwards of $4,000.

Where to Buy Tickets

You can purchase BNP Paribas Tickets here on the official website. You just click the date and the type of seat (courtside, prime, loge, etc.) you want, and then find an available seat on their interactive map. They also display the resale tickets available on their interactive map, which are denoted by an orange dot. Unless you’re desperate, I would avoid paying for these since they are typically jacked up from their original prices.

Additionally, please exercise caution when buying tickets from third-party resale sites such as Vivid Seats or StubHub. I haven’t resorted to buying from them for this tournament, but I know prices are often even more expensive on these sites.

🎾 NOTE: For Stadium 1, you have to purchase a ticket for the day session and another ticket for the evening session.

When to Buy Tickets

Honestly, it depends on what type of ticket you want. Tickets for the tournament are released in phases. For example, I believe the fancy packages are released as early as May. Meanwhile, single-session box seats were released in early January. My general rule of thumb is that the nicer the ticket you want, such as a courtside box or stadium box, the earlier you should purchase.

Here are a couple of scenarios. If you’re after a loge seat, I recommend purchasing a ticket a few weeks before. Or if you only want a grounds pass cause you’re broke 🙋🏽‍♀️ or just want to take in the atmosphere, you can buy a grounds pass a few days before you go. My one piece of advice though is DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DAY BEFORE YOU GO TO PURCHASE.

If you can’t tell by the shouty capitals, I did this once, and it was a big mistake. The BNP Paribas Open site glitched or maybe they reached grounds capacity, but there were no more grounds pass tickets available for the following day/the only time I could go. All my friends had their tickets, and I was supposed to drive them. And at that point, I wouldn’t have been able to go without paying for an expensive upgraded ticket.

In the end, my friend was able to hook me up with a grounds pass since she played professionally, but it was still traumatic. Save yourself the stress and just try to buy as soon as you know the dates you want to go…

Best Locations for Spectating

This depends on what kind of experience you want, the players you are interested in seeing, and your budget. Click here for a map of the venue. But here are some things to consider:

• The biggest tennis stars will likely be playing in Stadium 1, so you’ll have to specifically buy a Stadium 1 ticket if you want to see their match… But there are also a few giant TVs on the side of Stadium 1 with lots of lawn chairs available too 🙂

• Stadium 2 is comparatively new, so it’s super nice, and getting good lower-level seats is cheaper.

• A lot of the promising up-comers are on Stadium 3, and most of the available seating is non-reserved. *Ahem Carlos Alcaraz was there in 2022* But the best part about Stadium 3 is that players have to pass through the grounds to enter the court. There is no underground tunnel, so anyone can potentially get a picture or signature with them pretty easily. Just remember to be respectful of the players and aware of your surroundings (i.e. avoid smushing little children)!

• Lastly, my favorite part of the Indian Well Tennis Tournament is that you can get SUPER CLOSE to tennis stars by watching them on the practice courts! And viewing the practice courts is something any ticket holder can do!

🎾 FUN FACT: While watching Alcaraz play in 2022, I made a bet with my friend that Alcaraz would win a grand slam in 2022. He went on to win the US Open and yah girl won a free sandwich from my friend for the 2023 BNP!😎

Indian Wells Hotels Near Tennis Garden

Unless you live within driving distance, you’ll need a hotel in the area to stay. Luckily the surrounding area has lots of hotel accommodations and restaurants nearby…Here are a few highly-rated Indian Wells hotels near the Tennis Garden worth checking out.

And I highly highly HIGHLY recommend booking as soon as possible. As in right when you’ve secured your tickets. This is because this annual event is ginormous, and all the housing accommodations in the area raise their prices by 300%, if not more because they know that there will be a huge surge of people who need housing. Not to mention, the longer you wait, both demand and prices will only increase. So, I’m telling you, and I’m sure your wallet is begging you…book your hotels as early as you possibly can!

🎾 NOTE: All of these hotels are within a 30-minute drive of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden when there is no traffic…but you should expect lots of traffic…

Lower-Cost Stays

• Caliente Tropics Resort: Nice 3-star hotel with 2 restaurants & 2 bars | ⭐️ 8 / 10
• Palm Canyon Resort: Beautiful 3-star hotel with fitness center, spa, & 2 pools | ⭐️ 7.9 / 10

Mid-Range Hotels

• The Palm Springs Hotel: Upscale, boutique 3-star hotel with great service | ⭐️ 9.2 / 10
• Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage: Massive 4-star hotel | ⭐️ 9.2 / 10
  • The service here is great, there’s tons of food, & the facilities are well-maintained

Luxury Hotels Stays

• JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa: Giant 4-star hotel w/ 8 restaurants & 5 pools | ⭐️ 8.6 / 10
• Arrive Palm Springs: Chic 4-star, adult-only hotel w/ outdoor pool & bar | ⭐️ 8.8 / 10
• The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage: Elegant 5-star hotel w/ top-notch service & spa | ⭐️ 9.2 / 10

How to Get to the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament

Now that you have decided where you’re going to stay, it’s time to look at getting to the venue.

Flying to Southern California

For those who don’t live within driving distance of the venue, the closest airport you can fly into is the Palm Springs International Airport (PSP). But, if you don’t mind a 1.5-hour drive, I recommend comparing flight prices with the Ontario International Airport (ONT).

And of course, for anyone coming from overseas, you’ll likely need to fly into the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which is about 2 hours and 45 minutes away from the venue on a good day with minimal traffic.

🎾 PRO TIP: My favorite flight search engines are Skyscanner and StudentUniverse for finding the cheapest flights available. If you’ve never heard of StudentUniverse, you can read my in-depth review about it before checking it out — it’s worth a read 🙂

Getting to Indian Wells

Unfortunately, pretty much everywhere in the United States, except for New York City, has extremely limited public transportation. As a result, once you fly into the airport, you’re going to want to rent a car or pay a pricey fee for an Uber/Lyft to your hotel. I recommend renting through Discover Cars as that’s my preferred company for renting cars when I travel, and I’ve never had issues. Plus, they normally allow you to pick up your car directly from the airport, so it’s super convenient.

🌴 Check availability for cars at the Palm Springs International Airport
🚗 See the availability of cars at Ontario International Airport
✅ Click here to check rental cars at Los Angeles International Airport

Attending the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament

When it’s time for you to attend the tournament, you have two options.

1. Drive yourself there
2. Uber/Lyft to a nearby location and hike the rest of the way to the venue.

I won’t lie — it’s quite a process getting to the venue. You can expect tons of traffic, crazy drivers, and long queues. My advice is just to follow what Google Maps says to get to the venue in the shortest amount of time, follow the person in front of you, and expect sudden stops. The good part is that once you enter the general parking area, it’s a super efficient process. There are lots of volunteers who will tell you exactly where to park and several signs indicating the section that you’re parked in!

🎾 NOTE: For the 2025 season, the General Parking lot off Miles Avenue is free!

Once you’re parked, make sure to take a picture of your car with a reference sign (i.e. B6 or K13). This will help you find your car when it’s dark out and you’re exhausted. Plus, no one likes the immense amount of panic and adrenaline that courses through your veins when you think someone has hijacked your car. 🙃

Afterward, you’ll follow signs and volunteers to the entrance. You’ll then queue to go through the security check. From there, they’ll scan your ticket and you’ll be inside the venue!

BNP Paribas Opening Hours

The BNP Paribas opening hours for day session ticket holders is 10 AM. For night session ticket holders, the gates are open at 4:30 PM. My advice is for day session ticket holders to arrive around 9 – 9:30 AM if you want decent parking. Honestly, though, it doesn’t make that much of a difference because you’ll have to just wait in line at the entrance.

And if you’re wondering what the incentive is to arrive early, it means you can get closer to the practice courts. The closer you are to the practice courts, the better chance you have of getting your gear signed and a picture with the players! Similarly, you can also benefit by getting the first pick in the non-reserved seating areas on the courts. Again, you can tell who’s playing on what court with the app or looking at the electronic boards.

But, if you’re indifferent to these kinds of things, you could just plan on arriving around 9:40 AM.

Tips for the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament

To ensure you have the best experience possible, here are a few tips for the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament. They are based on my experiences after having gone to the BNP Paribas Open 9 or so times. So, they are certainly tried and true lol.

What to Wear to the BNP Paribas Open

Most years, you can expect hot weather, with temperatures climbing to the 90s. However, these last few weeks, Southern California has been slammed with tons of rain. The night session was even suspended the first two days of the tournament due to rain. Needless to say, it’s going to be a bit colder this 2024. The average high throughout the tournament is in the mid-70s °F and the average low is in the low-to-mid-50s. Thus, you’ll want to dress appropriately based on what these temperatures mean for you.

But, in general, I suggest wearing a hat, loose flowy clothes, and sunglasses. I also recommend you bring a good jacket because once the sun sets, the desert region gets pretty cold really fast! Plus, there’s the wind chill, so temperatures often feel colder than what your weather app is reporting. When my dad and I went in 2024, temperatures peaked at about 1 PM. After that, we felt a noticeable dip in temperatures.

What to Bring to the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament

Here are a few specific items to bring with you to help increase your comfort at the tournament.

• 🎒 Clear Bag: If you want to bring anything into the tournament, you’ll have to bring a clear bag with the appropriate dimensions. You can find the policy here. Avoid deviating because they are pretty strict on the clear bag rules and will deny you entry/tell you to put your bag in your car.

✅ Here’s an affordable clear backpack that’s allowed inside the venue.
🎒Or, this slightly more sturdy one.

• 💧Empty reusable water bottle: Bring an empty reusable water bottle to avoid dehydration because you’ll undoubtedly sweat in the sun. There are a few hydration stations around the venue (a couple outside stadiums 1 and 2). Technically speaking, you aren’t allowed to bring any outside food into the venue. That said, I have gotten away with bringing a whole sandwich, granola bars, pretzels… just be creative when packing :’)

• 🌞 Sunscreen: Again, the sun is very intense in the desert. Bring sunscreen and apply it every 2 hours if you want to avoid looking like a red lobster.
  

• 🎾 Sharpie: Want a player’s autograph? Come prepared with a couple of Sharpies! Expect to lose at least one because players will often use just one person’s Sharpie to sign lots of gear and then forget who gave it to them originally.
  

• 🪑 Seat cushion: If you have stadium tickets, I recommend bringing a little seat cushion to ease the pain of sitting in a plastic chair for hours!

✅ Here is a cheap but functional one I recommend.

Play Tennis for Prizes

If you go to the merchandising area, you’ll notice there’s a tennis court next to the Tennis Warehouse tent. This is an area where visitors can line up to test out the different racquets that the professional players use — free of charge! The catch is that they have different obstacles that you can try to hit. If you hit one, you’ll get a little tennis-related prize, like a tennis ball key chain. And if you hit multiple targets you can get a bigger prize.

This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s something worth looking into if you want a cheap souvenir! And let me tell you, purchasing souvenirs inside the venue is EXPENSIVE. I spent $40 on a Rafa hat and can’t tell you how much I’ve spent over the years on giant tennis balls that are decked out in autographs. My suggestion is to buy gear online in advance if you want to save a few dollars! But, I know the temptation is strong for sentimental souvenirs lol.

Stay Late for Better Seats

Lastly, a little hack is that if you stay late, you can easily move up seats…This requires a bit of timing with the ticket checkers in the stadium, but it’s pretty easy to move up. My friends and I had Stadium 1 tickets and were watching Paula Badosa and Nick Kyrgios in Stadium 2 late at night. As such, we were technically only allowed in non-reserved seating…

But while the ticket people weren’t looking, we easily moved up a couple of sections. To be fair though, the stadium wasn’t that full… Just remember that you do run the risk of being reprimanded, so use this hack at your own risk.

5 Best Things to Do in Palm Springs

If you’re staying in the Palm Springs area and want to experience more than just the tournament, consider exploring the incredible desert scenery! And if you’re not sure what to do, here’s a short list of what I believe are the 5 best things to do in Palm Springs!

1. Day Trip to Joshua Tree National Park

Undoubtedly one of the best activities to do in Palm Springs is to take a day trip out to Joshua Tree National Park. Just an hour away, Joshua Tree offers nearly 800,000 acres of breathtaking landscape to its visitors. And with the best views being far away from the paved paths, there’s no better way to explore than by taking a 4×4 tour! This way you’ll have access to sweeping views of the Mojave Desert landscape, the famous Joshua trees, and imposing rock formations!

Plus, with an entrance fee that’s covered in your ticket and an extremely knowledgeable guide, you can make the most of your precious time and avoid heavy tourist crowds! Oh, and the nice part is that this tour is only 5 hours long, so you’ll still have time to explore other parts of Palm Springs.

Thus, if you don’t want to miss out on this ultimate desert experience, consider taking this wildly popular and all-inclusive Joshua Tree National Park off-road tour! You might even run into tennis stars who’ve been eliminated from the tournament in earlier stages…

✅ 🧗‍♂️Check Availability for this popular Joshua Tree National Park Off-Road Tour

🌵 Alternatively, you can always opt to drive yourself to Joshua Tree and listen to an audio to learn everything about the National Park!

2. Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

Another crowd-favorite activity that’s family-friendly is a visit to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. This unique zoo is home to 500 desert animals including rhinos, bighorn sheep, and Nigerian dwarf goats! There’s also a bird aviary, various animal interaction zones, and even an area where visitors can hand-feed giraffe lettuce or carrots!

Furthermore, since the zoo is smaller than the one in San Diego or Los Angeles, you can cover the majority of the zoo park in about 3 or 4 hours! For more information on what to expect or if you’re looking for ways to save money on this activity, you can check out my detailed review of the Living Desert Zoo and Garden here!

3. Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

If you’re looking to scale new heights, then you’ll want to experience the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. This incredible ride takes visitors up 5,783 feet (1,790 meters) and offers majestic views of the San Jacinto Mountains, Sonoran Desert, and Ponderosa pine trees.

Upon reaching the top, you’ll find the Mountain Station, which provides guests access to a cocktail lounge, restaurant, and observation deck. Because food is always better with gorgeous views of the vast wilderness! Afterward, you can explore Mt San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness Area on foot. For those looking to get their steps in for the day, there are about 54 miles (87 km) of hiking trails — no problem right :’)

All in all, it’s an experience of a lifetime in Southern California as you’ll get to ride in the world’s largest rotating tramcars! And the tramcars operate most hours of the day (10 AM – 8 PM), so you can decide when it’s the best time for you to visit.

✅ 🏜 Purchase an Admission Ticket for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

4. San Andreas Fault Jeep Tour

Another fun outdoor activity is to take a jeep tour to discover the geology and history surrounding California’s infamous San Andreas fault. This fantastic San Andreas Fault Jeep Tour includes:

• Enjoying a scenic drive through the Coachella Valley
• Learning about the ecology of the desert region with an expert naturalist guide
• Exploring a desert oasis that starkly contrasts the rest of the desert area
• Visiting a recreated Native American site that was once used by native Cahuilla people
• Learning how the Cahuilla people survived off the land in the unforgiving desert region
• Wandering through the steep canyon of the San Andreas fault with an easy hike

So if you want a unique experience through the San Andreas Fault Zone and delve into the history of the Native American Tribe that once existed here, I highly recommend this tour!

✅ 🌵Check Availability for this awesome San Andreas Fault Jeep Tour

5. Biking & Hiking

For those seeking a relaxing yet active activity, consider taking a bike and hiking tour of Palm Springs and Indian Canyons. This 3.5-hour guided tour will take you through a 10-mile loop of the beautiful Indian Canyons, once home to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians!

On your journey, you’ll get to explore the breathtaking palms and desert oasis, learn about the region’s wildlife, and discover its rich history. You’ll even get to enjoy a nature walk along a running stream surrounded by beautiful palm trees and other flora. And of course, the package includes the use of a bike and helmet, entrance fees, and snacks! But, my favorite part is the little ice cream run to the local ice cream shop called Kreem.🍦😋

Thus, if you’re looking for a fun, active way to explore Palm Springs and Indian Canyons, this biking and hiking experience, I recommend booking this biking and hiking tour! Just make sure you book it a few days before you want to do it so they don’t cancel the excursion thinking no one is interested!

✅ 🚴 Check Availability for this fun 3.5-hour biking and hiking tour!

Wrap-Up: Attending the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament in 2025

Every year, the world’s best tennis players descend on Southern California’s desert region to compete against each other in the iconic Indian Wells Tennis Tournament. This 2-week event promises thrilling entertainment, sensational shot-making, and of course, upsets. To top it off, there are lots of fun activities and amazing tours to help you fully discover this beautiful desert landscape. So if this sounds appealing, make sure to purchase your tickets for the highly-anticipated event! Every tennis enthusiast deserves to experience tennis paradise at least once. 😉

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email. Otherwise, I hope this post has been helpful, and you have an unforgettable time at the BNP Paribas Open!

And who knows…if you see a 5-foot Asian girl with a black Rafa hat who looks pretty similar to the picture down below… feel free to say hello! 🤠

Discover California

• 🍊 Redlands: Looking to explore an adorable small town for a day? Make your way to Redlands, CA! It’s about an hour away from Palm Springs!

• 🌊 San Diego: Need to cool off on the coast after days in the sun at the tournament? San Diego is the perfect place to visit! From an abundance of beautiful waves to surf and an array of delectable food to playful goat yoga and wine tasting, there’s so much to offer!