Candlestick Roots

It’s all about the fan experience! If you’re a 49er fan traveling in from out of town, bring something for the cooler and something for the grill and join us for a great time. We’ve created an award winning tailgate for you to enjoy before the game. Get in some quality time with fellow 49ers fans, Candlestick style.



Santa Clara, CA – Empire Row sits on the edge of Levis Stadium and Green Lot-1 and is run by some of the truest Diehards you will ever meet. They are passionate about our 49ers, and have created an environment to share the best 49er tailgate experience ever with all who visit.
The name “Empire Row” came about during the excitement of the 2014 tailgater of the year competition. It was towards the end of Levis Stadiums inaugural season when AJ Esperanza, the founder of our incredible world wide Niner Empire movement, posted “Come to Empire Row” on social media and the name stuck.
It just had to become the future for our fellow fans! We had to create a taste of the Candlestick tailgating experience to our team’s new home. During the off season AJ and Raj of The Niner Empire Organization decided to bring together award winning Candlestick tailgaters to join forces. During the Candlestick days these groups had tailgated on their own. Now it was time to come together and bring Candlestick vibes to Levis.
One of the bigger tailgate groups known as “The Red Zone” tailgating crew got it’s start around 1996. Over the years, fellow Candlestick tailgaters Antonio Arevalo of “The Red Zone Tailgate” and Auggie Perez of “Mine49 Tailgate” would connect. On every game day you would be sure to find them at Pole R hosting the biggest gathering of the tailgates at the historic Candlestick Stadium’s parking lot. They would have the best foods on the grill and known to have a live performances by 49er faithful recording artists performing their 49er Anthems for the fans before heading into the game.
They went on to become the very first tailgating group to win Candlestick’s “Tailgater of the Game” award.

The Red Zone
The Red Zone crew had made it all about the fan experience where fans who had never met each other would hang out and have a great time chatting up, getting into long discussions about the upcoming game or just sharing past 49ers moments with. LOTS of personal memories shared!
With this amazing tailgate experience over the years in truly understanding what it takes to do it right, it was no brainer to form the Empire Row tailgating party with Red Zone at its foundation.
When the original tailgating crews from Candlestick joined forces as Empire Row at Levi’s, they won Tailgater of the Game and then on to Tailgater of the Year, they were quickly dubbed, “Empire Row – Kings of the Tailgate”.
Coming to a game?
Stop by and say hi on your way in!
Get the full experience
Bring something for the grill and something for the cooler and join us
for good times, making friends and lifelong memories!
Empire Row Tailgate
Green Lot 1, Pole 20
One Love, One Team
GO NINERS!!!