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    Holiday Bowl Tickets

    Dec. 28, 2026 at Snapdragon Stadium · 2 p.m. PT · open air

    San Diego's December bowl game, now played at Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley, with a trolley stop at the gate and a balloon parade on the waterfront.

    By the Good Seats editorial teamUpdated How we research

    Upcoming Holiday Bowl dates

    Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.

    What the Holiday Bowl is and where it is played now

    The Holiday Bowl is a college football bowl game played in San Diego every winter since 1978. It is no longer at Petco Park. The game spent three seasons at the downtown ballpark after San Diego Stadium was demolished, then moved to Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley for the December 2024 game, and it stays there for the 47th edition on Monday, December 28, 2026, at 2 p.m. Pacific, televised on The CW. Snapdragon Stadium sits on the site of the old San Diego Stadium, so the game has effectively returned to the neighborhood where it was played for four decades.

    The nonprofit Sports San Diego organizes the bowl. Since 2022 the game has paired a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with a team from the Pac-12, and the 2025 announcement described the matchup as the ACC against a current or former Pac-12 school. Tie-ins and selection order change with conference realignment, so wait for the early-December selection announcement before assuming any particular pairing.

    Dates, kickoff times and the San Diego bowl doubleheader

    The Holiday Bowl has usually been played in the last week of December. Recent dates show the pattern: December 27, 2019; December 28, 2022; December 27, 2023; and December 27, 2024. The 2025 edition broke from it and was played on Friday, January 2, 2026, the first Holiday Bowl ever held in January. The 2026 game returns to December 28.

    San Diego also gains a second bowl in 2026. The Poinsettia Bowl returns after a decade away and is scheduled for Wednesday, December 23, 2026, at Snapdragon Stadium, also on The CW. For visitors, that creates a few practical choices:

    • Two games, one trip: a stay from December 23 to 28 covers both bowls in the same stadium, with Christmas in between.
    • Afternoon kickoff: a 2 p.m. start means the first half is played in full daylight and the game ends around sunset, which matters for the seat choice below.
    • Holiday-week travel: flights and hotels between Christmas and New Year's fill quickly, so book once the matchup is set, or sooner if you are going regardless of the teams.

    Where to sit at Snapdragon Stadium for the bowl

    Snapdragon Stadium is an open-air stadium owned by San Diego State University. It opened on August 19, 2022, seats about 35,000, and is built to expand to 55,000. It is the home of the San Diego State Aztecs, San Diego Wave FC and San Diego FC. The seating bowl is compact, so even upper rows sit closer to the field than they would in an NFL stadium, and the 100 level (the lower bowl closest to the field) wraps the playing surface.

    For a 2 p.m. December kickoff, sun is the main variable. Third-party shade guides for the stadium put the afternoon shade on the west sideline, roughly sections 123 to 133 in the lower level and 323 to 333 above, while the east sideline, around sections 101 to 113 and 202 to 212, takes the most direct sun. Section numbers here come from those guides rather than the stadium's own published map, so confirm them against the seating chart at checkout.

    • West sideline, lower level, between the 20-yard lines: the best all-around choice, with shade arriving earliest and a straight-on view of the field.
    • West sideline, upper level: a full view of formations and plays developing, usually at lower demand than the lower sideline.
    • East sideline: good sightlines, but bring sunglasses and a hat; in late December the low sun sits in your eyes for much of the first half.
    • End zones: the lowest-demand seats. Fans of each school often cluster behind their own team's bench side or in the end zone their band occupies, so check which side your team is assigned once it is announced.

    Recent crowds have run well under capacity: 23,920 for the 2024 game and 30,602 for the January 2026 game. Demand tracks the matchup, and a school that travels well can fill most of the lower bowl.

    Bowl week: the balloon parade and fan events

    The Holiday Bowl's best-known side event is the Port of San Diego Holiday Bowl Parade, which organizers bill as America's largest balloon parade. In recent years it has stepped off at 10 a.m. on game day along the Harbor Drive waterfront downtown, with giant character balloons, marching bands from the participating schools and dance teams. Viewing from the curb is free, and Harbor Drive closes for the morning, so transit is the easier way in.

    The 2025 announcement also listed a Bowl Bash street party downtown, a game-day 5K walk and run, a pregame show, a halftime show and a tuition-throw contest for local students. Each year's lineup and timing can change, so check the bowl's site for the current schedule. The parade leaves enough time to ride the trolley from downtown to Mission Valley for a 2 p.m. kickoff, but not much slack.

    Getting to Snapdragon Stadium

    The simplest way to the game is the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Trolley. The Green Line stops at Stadium Station beside the venue, and for the January 2026 game MTS ran longer, more frequent trains from the Gaslamp Quarter before kickoff and service every 15 minutes or better after the final whistle, both westbound to downtown and eastbound toward El Cajon. MTS also offered free parking at transit centers, including El Cajon and Old Town, for fans connecting to the game by trolley.

    Driving is possible, but the stadium sits in a busy valley beside Interstate 8 and Interstate 15, and post-game traffic is slow. If you stay downtown, the trolley avoids both the parking search and the exit queue. Check MTS service notices for the 2026 game, since event schedules are set close to the date.

    As of the 2025–26 season, Snapdragon Stadium is a clear-bag venue: bags must be clear plastic or vinyl and no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches, and small clutches up to 4.5 by 6.5 inches are allowed. Lockers for other bags are sold on the stadium's east side. Check the venue's current policy before you go at snapdragonstadium.com.

    History, famous finishes and sponsors

    The Holiday Bowl was created in 1978 to give the champion of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) a guaranteed bowl bid after the Fiesta Bowl ended its WAC tie-in. That origin produced the two games the bowl is still known for:

    • The 1980 Miracle Bowl: BYU erased a 20-point deficit against SMU and won on a last-second touchdown.
    • The 1984 title game: BYU beat Michigan 24–17 to secure the national championship, one of the rare times a bowl outside the top tier decided the title.

    The tie-ins shifted from the WAC champion (1978–1997) to a Pac-10 against Big 12 matchup (1998–2013), with Big Ten participation in 1991–1994 and 2014–2020, before the current ACC and Pac-12 pairing. The record crowd, 61,892, watched Iowa and Wyoming in 1987. The 2020 game was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 game was called off hours before kickoff when UCLA could not play because of COVID-19 protocols.

    Naming sponsors have included SeaWorld, Thrifty Car Rental, Plymouth, Culligan, Pacific Life, Bridgepoint Education, National University, National Funding, San Diego County Credit Union, DirecTV and, for the 2025 game, Trust and Will.

    Travel tips for a late-December game in San Diego

    • Stay on the trolley line: hotels downtown, in the Gaslamp Quarter or in Mission Valley put you on the Green Line, which covers both the parade and the stadium.
    • Dress in layers: an afternoon kickoff in December can feel warm in the sun and cool after sunset, especially on the shaded west side.
    • Watch the announcement: matchups are set in early December, and demand moves sharply once the schools are known.
    • Consider both games: the Poinsettia Bowl on December 23 and the Holiday Bowl on December 28 share a stadium, a trolley line and a hotel base.

    Every GoodSeats order is backed by a 100% guarantee. Official schedules, event times and ticket information are posted at holidaybowl.com.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is the Holiday Bowl still played at Petco Park?

    No. Petco Park hosted the 2022 and 2023 games, and the Holiday Bowl moved to Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley starting with the December 2024 game. The 2026 game is scheduled there as well.

    When is the 2026 Holiday Bowl?

    The 47th Holiday Bowl is scheduled for Monday, December 28, 2026, at 2 p.m. Pacific at Snapdragon Stadium, televised on The CW.

    Which conferences play in the Holiday Bowl?

    Since 2022 the game has matched an ACC team against a Pac-12 team, described for the 2025 game as a current or former Pac-12 school. Tie-ins change with realignment, so confirm the matchup when it is announced in early December.

    Which seats at Snapdragon Stadium are in the shade?

    Shade guides place the afternoon shade on the west sideline, roughly sections 123 to 133 and 323 to 333, while the east sideline takes the most sun. The stadium is open air, so for an early-afternoon kickoff most seats see some sun.

    How do you get to the Holiday Bowl without driving?

    Take the MTS Trolley Green Line to Stadium Station, which sits next to the venue. MTS has run added service from downtown for recent bowl games.

    What is the Holiday Bowl Parade?

    The Port of San Diego Holiday Bowl Parade is a balloon parade along the downtown waterfront, held the morning of game day in recent years. It is free to watch from the curb.

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