Holiday Bowl Parade: What You Need to Know

Trojan fan? Cardinals fan? Or you just love a seaside parade?

The Port of San Diego welcomes one and all for the Holiday Bowl Parade at 10 a.m. Wednesday as it returns to its normal route along Pacific Highway. The bands and balloons will pass the County Administration building, and finish up where North Harbor Drive meets Pacific Highway.

Tens of thousands of spectators are expected to take in the free parade, with many more watching the live stream from home.

The parade precedes the Holiday Bowl, at Petco Park at 5 p.m., featuring the clash between USC and Louisville, representing the Pac-12 and ACC.

Pre-parade 5K

Just before the parade, the annual Holiday Bowl 5K Walk/Run sets off at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday at Harbor Drive and Ash Street, then heading south to reach the Embarcadero.

There’s also a post-race party with live music and munchies. Registration is up this year, to $52.

How to Watch

Download the free CBS 8+ app on Roku or Amazon Fire. For details, visit CBS8.com. Watching on the Holiday Bowl site is another option.

The parade will be hosted by CBS 8’s Evan Noorani.

The Main Event

Head to Pacific Highway or Harbor Drive downtown to see the waterfront come to life, with gigantic balloons, marching bands, floats and more.

Retired coach Steve Fisher, who built the San Diego State Aztecs basketball into a powerhouse program, is the grand marshal.

Road Closure

Harbor Drive from Grape Street to Broadway, from 7:45 a.m. to approximately 11:45 a.m., but streets will be clogged when they re-open, so …

Transportation

Looking into alternatives is important, especially because parking will be limited too. San Diego Trolley service will run every 15 minutes from all Green, Orange and Blue line stations throughout the day, with Blue Line service between San Ysidro and downtown running every 7.5 minutes. 

Best trolley options for the parade:

• Blue Line – to County Center/Little Italy or Santa Fe Depot stations.
• Orange Line – to Courthouse station. 
• Green Line – to Seaport Village, Santa Fe Depot, or County Center/Little Italy stations.

There are park and ride lots at Old Town for the Green and Blue lines and the El Cajon Transit Center for the Green and Orange lines, among other options. See MTS for more. 

And, Later in the Day …

For the second year in a row, the 101.5 KGB Sky Show will light up the skies following the Louisville vs. USC matchup. Fans will watch inside Petco Park, but the show can be seen from the streets of the Gaslamp and East Village too.