UPDATE, DEC. 31: Due to the expected rain on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, parking will be more limited than usual for the Rose Bowl game. Please consider taking the train!
Scroll down for more info on how to ride to the game. Also: there is parking across our rail system.
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It’s time to start getting ready for the annual Tournament of Roses parade and the Rose Bowl game, which this year features No. 1-ranked Indiana against No. 9 Alabama. The parade, the game and two other Tournament of Roses events — Bandfest and Floatfest — are easy-to-reach via Metro.
How to get to the Rose Parade
If you’re visiting L.A. or new to using Metro, our A Line light rail train is the easiest way to ride transit to and from Pasadena.
The A Line runs between downtown Long Beach and Pomona. The A Line has several stations in Pasadena as well as six stations in downtown L.A., where there are connections with Metro’s B Line, D Line and E Line trains, as well as our J Line bus.
Here is our rail and busway system map:
These are the A Line stations in Pasadena closest to the parade and/or parade events:
- Del Mar Station: Walk 0.3 miles north on Raymond Avenue or Arroyo Parkway to the parade route on Colorado Boulevard. Or, walk .8 miles to the parade’s start at Green Street and Orange Grove Boulevard.
- Memorial Park Station: Walk 0.2 miles south on Arroyo Parkway to the parade on Colorado Blvd.
- Lake Station: Walk 0.4 miles south on Lake Avenue to the parade on Colorado Blvd.
- Allen Station: Walk 0.4 miles south on Allen Avenue to the parade on Colorado Blvd.
- Sierra Madre Villa Station: Use this station to reach Floatfest after the parade. More info below.
On New Year’s Eve and early New Year’s Day (Dec. 31 to Jan. 1), we’ll be running service all night on the A, B, D and E Lines with additional early morning service to help get you to Pasadena on time for the parade, which begins at 8 a.m. sharp.
The C and K Lines will run until 2 a.m. January 1 and then resume service at 4 a.m.
To plan your transit trip, use Google Maps, Apple Maps, the Transit or Moovit apps or the trip planner on metro.net
If you’re driving to a Metro station, here’s our web page that shows which stations have parking — some lots are free on New Year’s Day. Parking at Union Station — which has a large underground garage — is $8 daily.
Metrolink Regional Rail service
Metrolink runs the commuter-type trains that serve the five counties in Southern California — their system map is above. To reach Pasadena for the parade and/or the game, take Metrolink and transfer to Metro.
•On New Year’s Day, Metrolink is running trains on a weekend schedule on their Antelope Valley, Orange County, 91/Perris Valley, San Bernardino, Inland Empire-Orange County and Ventura County Lines.
•If you’re coming from the Inland Empire, take the San Bernardino Line to Pomona North station and transfer there to Metro’s A Line at the adjacent platform.
•For the other lines, take Metrolink to Union Station in downtown L.A. and transfer there to the A Line to Pasadena. The A Line platform is adjacent to the Metrolink and Amtrak platforms.
•Please note that Metrolink’s Riverside County Line is not running on New Year’s Day.
•Metrolink tickets include free transfers to Metro for easy connections to the A Line at Union Station — scan your Metrolink ticket at marked Metro turnstiles or gates. Save money on fare with Metrolink’s discounted $10 Holiday Pass, which provides unlimited daily rides on New Year’s Day (as well as Christmas Day).
How to ride to the Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl game between Indiana and Alabama kicks off at 1 p.m. at the Rose Bowl, which is about two miles from downtown Pasadena. If you want to traffic and parking hassles, Go Metro!
To ride Metro to the game:
- Take the A Line to Memorial Park Station in Pasadena, turn right when exiting the station and then follow the signs and walk 0.4 miles on Holly Street to the free shuttle buses leaving from the parking lot at the corner of Holly and Corson.
- The Rose Bowl-run shuttle service runs from 9 a.m. until two hours after the game ends.
- There is parking at many stations on New Year’s Day along Metro’s A Line and E Line trains. Parking is free except where noted below:
- Pomona North Station on the A Line (530 spaces)
- La Verne/Fairplex Station on the A Line (262 spaces)
- San Dimas Station on the A Line (280 spaces)
- Glendora Station on the A Line (298 spaces)
- Azusa Downtown Station on the A Line (534 spaces) — $3 to park
- Irwindale Station on the A Line (350 spaces)
- Monrovia Station on the A Line (350 spaces) — $3 to park
- Arcadia Station on the A Line (302 spaces)
- Sierra Madre Villa Station on the A Line (800+ spaces) — please note this parking garage does get busy for the parade and game
- Los Angeles Union Station on the A Line (2000+ spaces) — parking is $8 daily
- Willow Station in Long Beach on the A Line (1000+ spaces)
- La Cienega/Jefferson station on the E Line (494 spaces)
- Expo/Crenshaw station on the E Line (502 spaces) — parking is $3 in the garage one block north of the station on Crenshaw Boulevard.
•Another parking option is the B Line’s North Hollywood Station, which has more than 1,000 spaces and a parking fee of $3. If using this station, ride the B Line to Union Station and transfer to the A Line to Pasadena.
Bandfest
Enjoy the sounds of the marching bands that are participating in the parade at the annual event at Pasadena City College’s (PCC) Robinson Stadium on Dec. 29 and 30.
The A Line’s Allen Station is a .9-mile walk from Robinson Stadium. By bus, Metro Line 180 stops at Colorado & Hill on the north side of the PCC campus, about a 5 to 10 minute walk from the stadium. Metro Bus Line 267 stops at Del Mar & Hill adjacent to Robinson Stadium.
Floatfest
See the stunning Rose Parade floats up close at Floatfest near Victory Park.
There is shuttle bus service from Sierra Madre Villa Station at these dates and times:
•Jan. 1 from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
•Jan. 2-3: 6:30 a.m. (with priority for seniors and mobility-impaired riders) and regular service from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Regular fares apply. TAP card users can enjoy free transfers between services.
Paying Metro Fares
- Fares: Regular adult fares are $1.75 per one-way trip or $3.50 roundtrip with free transfers for two hours, or $5 for unlimited rides all day.
- Pro tip: two children ages six and under ride free with each paying adult.
- TAP Cards: Fares are paid with TAP cards. You can either purchase a plastic TAP card from TAP vending machines at all Metro Rail and Busway stations and load fare on it. Or, use a digital TAP card on your smartphone.
- Please note: each paying rider must have their own physical TAP card.
Loading fare on an iPhone
- Open the Apple Wallet app on your iPhone and tap the “+”
- Select ‘Transit Card,’ then select TAP
- Add fare with a double click of the side button
- Tap at bus farebox or validator at rail stations & ride!
- You can load multiple TAP cards in Apple Wallet — you just need to switch to the next card before tapping at the farebox on buses and validators at rail and busway stations.
Loading fare on an Android phones
- Download the TAP App from Google Play
- Sign in or create a TAP account
- Follow prompts to “Add a TAP Card on Your Phone” and add fare; a round-trip on Metro buses and trains costs $3.50
- Tap at bus farebox or validator at rail stations & ride!
Another pro tip: if you’re out and about on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) or New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31), Metro is offering free fares on buses, trains, Metro Bike Share and Metro Micro from 4 a.m. until 3 a.m. the following morning.
For Metro Bike Share, use code 122425 on Christmas Eve and code 123125 on New Year’s Eve.
For Metro Micro riders, use promo code MERRY25 on Christmas Eve and RING26 on New Year’s Eve to receive a free ride within Metro Micro service zones.
Getting Help
Our Customer Help Line is 323.GO.METRO (323.466.3876) and is staffed Monday-Friday 5am-9pm and Sat/Sun 6am-6pm.
If you encounter an issue, call 888.950.SAFE (7233) or use the free Transit Watch app to report the issue to our safety staff by phone. For emergencies, dial 911.
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