Tailgating at UCLA games is a unique experience since games are held at the nation’s most famous college football stadium – The Rose Bowl.  The Rose Bowl was constructed in 1922 and has been the home of the UCLA Bruins since 1982.  The Rose Bowl is located in Pasadena, some 30 miles away from UCLA’s actual campus in Westwood. So if you’re hoping to check out the campus at some point, be sure to keep this in mind!

The Rose Bowl is situated in a ravine surrounded by hills and mountains which makes for a lovely view from the golf course and stadium.  On the flip side, this location creates significant traffic issues since there are only a few ways in and out of the stadium and most are small residential streets. Which is even more reason to get to the Rose Bowl early, set up a great tailgate, and enjoy the comradery of your fellow football fans!

Parking

Parking opens six hours before kick-off and is first-come, first-served on the Brookside Golf Course which surrounds the north side of the Rose Bowl.  Prices average $40 per car.  You can pre-purchase parking at ParkJockey.com so you don’t have to worry about having cash on game day.  There is also parking south of the stadium near the ball diamonds but most of the tailgating action is up on the golf course.

Check out this map of the UCLA tailgating lots.  Our favorite is Lot 7.  It has lots of large trees for shade and open areas for throwing around a football.

For more information on parking at the Rose Bowl, check out Parking Central.

UCLA Football Parking

Tailgating

Fans can set up one 10’x10’ tent behind their car.  If you have a bigger group you might want to caravan in with multiple cars, so you can set-up multiple tents and have enough space for all your guests.  No outside caterers are allowed on the golf course so make sure to plan to bring your own food or give yourself enough time to pick up a catering order before driving into the Rose Bowl.

If you’d like your tailgate ready and waiting for you when you get there, check out our UCLA tailgate packages here.

Given the tough traffic mentioned earlier, make sure to pack up your leftovers and save it for the post-game. We’d recommend hanging out in the parking lot for a bit to let the traffic die down. The lots are officially open for 1.5 hours after the game.

A great catering pick-up option at the Rose Bowl is Newport Rib Company.  Check out their tailgate menu options here.

Rose Bowl Catering

Shuttle Service

The Rose Bowl does offer a shuttle service from Parsons Corp. located at 100 W. Walnut Street.  Fans can ride-share or take the metro to Parsons and then take the shuttle down to the stadium.  Taking the shuttle makes it very difficult to bring tailgate gear so hopefully you have a buddy with a tailgate you can join.

More game day information can be found on the UCLA tailgating game day guide page.

Extra Tips

*UCLA Stadium has adopted the Clear Bag Policy. Find more information on what is or is not permitted in the stadium in the UCLA game day guide linked above

*The Rose Bowl has VERY limited food & beverage sales outside of the stadium, so make sure to pack accordingly for all your F&B needs while tailgating

*All rideshare options will have a pick-up and drop-off located in Lot H. Please keep this in mind when coming and going from the Rose Bowl. If your friends are tailgating out on the Golf Course, you may need to factor in a 15-20-minute walk to get to them!