For nearly five decades, college football’s Holiday Bowl has called San Diego home. But never before has the game taken place after New Year's Eve.
“This is the first time in the 46-year history of the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl that the game will be held in January,” said Sports San Diego’s Natalie Schneck, vice president of marketing for the organization which produces the event.
This year's Holiday Bowl will take place at Snapdragon Stadium on Friday, Jan. 2. The two teams facing off are University of Arizona and Texas’ Southern Methodist University.
Snapdragon Stadium has a 35,000 person capacity. The 2026 matchup marks the second consecutive year the bowl game has been played there.
“We have two incredible teams that are bringing a lot of fans from near and far — Arizona and SMU both have incredible alumni organizations across the country, really strong support,” Schneck said. “And of course we have our local San Diegans, our loyal locals who come to this game year in, year out.”
The day is about much more than the on-field college football action — there are also events downtown, including a 5K run and large parade.
“You can expect to see bands from both teams, balloons, floats, there's a lot of local organizations that march in the parade as well,” Schneck said.
The Holiday Bowl draws out-of-town tourists to the region during the slower winter months, said University of San Diego associate economics professor Alan Gin.
While last year’s attendance for the game was historically low, Gin said he expects a bit of a rebound this year due to the proximity of the teams that are playing.
“It attracts people from outside of the region. They're going to come and stay in hotel rooms and spend money in restaurants and bars, maybe retail stores, and so that gives a boost to the local economy,” he said.
Kickoff for the Holiday Bowl is 5 p.m. on Friday. Schneck said, as of Monday morning, there were a little over 3,000 unsold tickets.
The 5K run and parade take place Friday morning along San Diego's downtown waterfront.
