What to know before the Holiday Bowl and parade: Road closures, parking
SAN DIEGO — With the passing of Christmas, San Diegans are gearing up for another local tradition: the Holiday Bowl and Holiday Bowl Parade.
City officials are estimating that over 35,000 people will flock to downtown for the annual college football event and extended festivities this Wednesday, Dec. 27.
The Holiday Bowl parade kicks off the day at 10 a.m. along the Embarcadero, featuring balloons, floats and world-class marching bands. Then, at 5 p.m., the Louisville Cardinals (ACC) and USC Trojans (Pac-12) will meet in Petco Park for the bowl, followed by the KGB Sky Show.
The stadium’s gates will be open at 3 p.m. for fans headed to the Holiday Bowl game. The first 10,000 fans who enter the gate will be given one-day park tickets for SeaWorld San Diego, so those going may want to get to the stadium early.
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Whether you are attending or live in the area, here is everything you need to know about the upcoming Holiday Bowl festivities — from road closures and parking to stadium information.
Road closures
Several roads along San Diego’s waterfront will be either closed or otherwise impacted Wednesday morning for the the Holiday Bowl Parade and 5K Run/Walk.
The main closure will be along Harbor Drive, running from Grape Street to the intersection with Pacific Highway near Ruocco Park. Stretches of Pacific Highway, F Street and West G Street will also be closed off for the parade route’s marshaling and disbanding areas.
The Grandstand and TV area will be located across from Waterfront Park in the parking area next to the Maritime Museum. A map of the route can be found to the right.
With these road closures, several bayside parking areas — including the B Street Pier ABM and Navy Pier & USS Midway Museum parking lots — will be blocking vehicles from entry or exit between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. while the 5K and parade are underway.
Parking
Stadium parking will be available starting at 9 a.m. at Tailgate Park and Padres Parkade for those driving to the game. Parking passes for these lots start at $50 and can be purchased on Ticketmaster ahead of time.
There are also over a dozen parking areas for drivers in other parts of downtown. Spots can be reserved starting at $8 at one of those lots through ParkWhiz.
Transit options
For those that want to avoid parking in downtown or traffic congestion, the Metropolitan Transit System will be running extended service along all three Trolley lines, which provide direct service to and from Petco Park.
Those coming from North County or South Bay can hop on the UC San Diego Blue Line, while East County residents can use either the Green or Orange lines to head downtown. Trains will depart all stations every 15 minutes for most of the day.
Fans using the Trolley’s Green Line can get off at the Gaslamp Quarter for easy access to Petco park. All lines have a stop at 12th & Imperial where fans can disembark to get to the game.
For those headed to the pre-game parade, the Orange Line will drop fans off at Courthouse station, just a short walk away from the parade route. The Blue and Green lines will make stops along the route at the County Center/Little Italy and Santa Fe Depot stations.
After the game, service will continue running every 15 minutes on all lines for about 45 minutes. According to MTS, additional service will be added as needed, depending on the crowd.
Fans can save money and time on downtown parking by using one of the free parking and ride lots when riding the Trolley. A list of transit center lots along all three Trolley lines can be found here.
Before heading out, MTS suggests planning your trip by using the MTS website or the PRONTO app. All youth under 5 years old are able to ride for free, while kids ages 6 to 18 can ride for free with the Youth Opportunity Pass program.
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Bag policy
Petco Park’s standard stadium policies will be in place for the event. This includes the limiting of bags allowed inside to single compartment bag measuring 7″ x 10″ or smaller, infant bags and medical bags. Mobile lockers are available for rent at the Premier Lot near the pedestrian bridge.
A full list of items that are prohibited from entry into the stadium can be found on Petco Park’s website.
Digital ticketing and purchases
Petco Park is a paperless venue, meaning that all ticketing is digital and no cash is accepted at any concessions or retail spots.
Digital tickets purchased for the game can be viewed on the MLB Ballpark or Ticketmaster apps. Organizers recommend that guests transfer tickets to everyone in their party so that everyone has their own individual ticket.
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