AT & T Stadium AT & T Stadium is a stadium with a retractable roof in Arlington , Texas . It serves as the home of the National Football League ' s Dallas Cowboys . It replaced the partially covered Texas Stadium , which opened in 1971 , and served as the Cowboys ' home through the 2008 season . It was completed on May 27 , 2009 . The stadium seats 85 , 000 , making it the third largest stadium in the NFL by seating capacity . The maximum capacity of the stadium , including standing room , is 105 , 000 . The Party Pass ( open areas ) sections are behind seats in each end zone and on a series of six elevated platforms connected by stairways . It has the world ' s largest column - free interior and the fourth largest high definition video screen , which hangs from 20 yard line to 20 yard line . The facility can also be used for a variety of other activities outside of its main purpose ( professional football ) such as concerts , basketball games , boxing matches , college football and high school football contests , soccer matches , and motocross races . Construction and design . Cowboys Stadium was designed by the Dallas architectural firm HKS , Inc . Besides the Cowboys , the new stadium is used by college football teams and other organizations for other sporting and non - sporting events . The Cotton Bowl Classic was moved to the stadium beginning in 2010 . Originally estimated to cost $ 650 million , the stadium ' s current construction cost was $ 1 . 15 billion , making it one of the most expensive sports venues ever built . To aid Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones in paying the construction costs of the new stadium , Arlington voters approved the increase of the city ' s sales tax by 0 . 5 percent , the hotel occupancy tax by 2 percent , and car rental tax by 5 percent . The City of Arlington provided over $ 325 million ( including interest ) in bonds as funding , and Jones covered any cost overruns . Also , the NFL provided the Cowboys with an additional $ 150 million loan , following its policy for facilitating financing for the construction of new stadiums . A pair of nearly 300 feet ( 91m ) - tall arches spans the length of the stadium dome , anchored to the ground at each end . The new stadium also includes " more than 3 , 000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites , concourses , concession areas and more , offering fans viewing options that extend beyond the action on the field " . and a center - hung video display board that was the largest high - definition television screen in the world . It has since been surpassed in size by the video board at Charlotte Motor Speedway . Glass doors , allowing each end zone to be opened , were designed and constructed by Dallas - based Haley - Greer glass systems . The retractable roof was designed by structural engineering firm Walter P Moore and the systems were implemented by mechanization consultants Uni - Systems . The electrification of Cowboys Stadium ' s retractable roof was developed by VAHLE , Inc . These Kinetic Architecture fundamentals will be employed in order to create quick conversions of the facility to accommodate a variety of events . When the design was officially unveiled on December 12 , 2006 , it showed that , from inside the stadium , the roof ( membrane installed by K Post Company of Dallas ) will look very similar to the Texas Stadium roof , with its trademark hole . However , it can be covered by the retractable roof panel to protect against the elements . A Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame is planned for the Hall of Fame level . The drawings also include a site for a large sculpture northeast of the stadium , close to Randol Mill Road . Criticism . Cowboys Stadium is the only NFL stadium that is completely inaccessible via public transportation , including bus , light rail , or people mover systems . The only way to get to the stadium is via car or private shuttle . The stadium is situated in an area of Arlington that is predominantly residential . Thus , traffic congestion and infrastructure are not adequate to handle the crowds , leading to major delays during events . Many of the neighborhoods in the surrounding areas do not have sidewalks , leading to dangerous situations for pedestrians . The stadium is not near the major urban cores of Fort Worth or Dallas , leading to a diminished fan experience outside the stadium ' s walls . On September 1 , 2012 , thousands of fans were forced to wait hours after the Alabama vs Michigan football game for cab rides , due to lack of transportation infrastructure . This led to multiple hour long waits for thousands of event goers . Naming . Although the stadium had yet to sell naming rights , many fans started referring to the project with various nicknames such as " Jerryworld " , the " Death Star " , " The Palace in Dallas " ( for which announcer Bob Costas was criticized by the Arlington mayor ) , " Cowboys Cathedral " , and others . There was also a petition by some fans to have the stadium named after longtime Cowboys ' coach Tom Landry . On May 13 , 2009 , Jerry Jones announced the official name as Cowboys Stadium . On July 25 , 2013 , Jerry Jones announced that the Dallas Cowboys had agreed to grant naming rights to AT & T , changing the name of Cowboys Stadium to AT & T Stadium , effective immediately . The sponsorship deal was reported to be worth about $ 17 – 19 million per year . This is AT & T ' s fourth major sports venue where it holds the naming rights , which includes San Francisco ' s AT & T Park , San Antonio ' s AT & T Center , and Jones AT & T Stadium in Lubbock . Facility Solutions Group installed the " AT & T Stadium " letters on the top of the stadium . Signage includes two sets of 43 - foot - tall letters stretching 385 feet . The letters are made of lightweight components and aluminum and are insulated and heated to melt ice and snow . Video Board . During the debut preseason game of Cowboys Stadium , a punt by Tennessee Titans punter A . J . Trapasso hit the 2 , 100 in . screen above the field . The punt deflected backwards and was ruled in - play until Titans coach Jeff Fisher informed the officials that the punt struck the scoreboard . By rule , the down was replayed . Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes that Trapasso was trying to hit the scoreboard , saying " If you look at how you punt the football , unless you ' re trying to hit the scoreboard , you punt the ball to get downfield . You certainly want to get some hangtime , but you punt the ball to get downfield , and you sure don ' t punt the ball down the middle . You punt it off to the side . " Whether the screen would affect an opposing team ' s punting strategy has been debated . For teams with strategies centered on maximizing hang - time , physicist Christopher Moore of Longwood University has shown via computer simulation that well - kicked punts have the potential to hit the screen no matter the field position . Trapasso disputed Jones ' suggestion that he was intentionally trying to hit the board , and other NFL punters have suggested that the board may pose a problem for longer hang - time punts . The screen was moved up on one occasion to make room for U2 ' s massive set during their 360° Tour , but was moved back down after the concert . Guinness World Records was on hand at the September 28 , 2009 game against the Carolina Panthers to award certificates to the Chairman of Mitsubishi Electric and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for the World ' s Largest High - Definition Video Display . It has since been surpassed in size by the video board at Charlotte Motor Speedway . For basketball events played in Cowboys Stadium , such as the 2010 NBA All - Star Game , the video board is actually larger than the court . Major events . NBA All - Star Weekend . From February 14 to February 16 , 2010 , the stadium hosted the 2010 NBA All - Star Game . With an announced crowd of 108 , 713 , the game became the highest - attended basketball game in history , setting a new Guinness World Record . The East squad prevailed with a 141 – 139 victory over the West . College football . Southwest Classic . The Arkansas Razorbacks vs . Texas A & M Aggies football rivalry , which dates back to 1903 , was renewed in 2009 as the Southwest Classic which is played annually in Cowboys Stadium . In 2012 , Texas A & M joined Arkansas Southeastern Conference , and the series will take a two - year break from Cowboys Stadium , moving to Kyle Field in College Station , Texas for 2012 and Donald W . Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville , Arkansas in 2013 . The series is scheduled to return to Cowboys Stadium in 2014 and remain there through at least 2020 . Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Shootout . In 2009 , the Big 12 Conference game between the Baylor Bears and Texas Tech Red Raiders was held at Cowboys Stadium , the first time in the series the match - up was held on a neutral site . The game was the highest attended in the series ' history , with 71 , 964 in attendance . After the 2010 game was held at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park , Dallas during the State Fair of Texas , the series will return to Cowboys Stadium for the 2011 and 2012 games . The series ' neutral site contract at Cowboys Stadium could continue until 2014 . Concessions and merchandising . On October 20 , 2008 , Cowboys owner Jones and then New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner announced a joint business venture called Legends Hospitality Management LLC which would operate the concessions and merchandising sales at the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington , Texas , and at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx , New York , along with the stadiums of the Yankees ' minor league affiliates . Former Pizza Hut President Michael Rawlings will run the company from its new headquarters in Newark , New Jersey . The company was also backed by Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs and Dallas private equity firm CIC Partners LP . Art Program at Dallas Cowboys Stadium . The Jones family commissioned 18 contemporary artists to create site - specific artworks for the stadium . The stadium features paintings , sculptures , and installations by Franz Ackerman , Doug Aitken , Ricci Albenda , Mel Bochner , Daniel Buren , Olafur Eliasson , Teresita Fernandez , Wayne Gonzales , Terry Haggerty , Trenton Doyle Hancock , Jacqueline Humphries , Jim Isermann , Annette Lawrence , Dave Muller , Gary Simmons , and Lawrence Weiner . Parking . The fees for premium parking at Dallas Cowboys games are estimated at $ 75 per game , based on season ticket holder parking charges . The fees to park at major concerts and other sporting events will be nearly $ 40 per space at the new stadium . A shuttle operates between the T & P Station and Cowboys Stadium for all Cowboys regular season and postseason games and selected college football games , which averages approximately 900 riders per game . For special events like Super Bowl XLV parking prices can increase to as much as $ 990 .