PayPal Park Guide: Parking, Transit and Bag Policy for Earthquakes and Bay FC Matches
PayPal Park sits at Coleman Avenue and Earthquakes Way beside San Jose airport, and in October 2026 it hosts the Earthquakes against Nashville SC on Saturday, October 17 at 7:30 PM, Bay FC against Portland Thorns on Sunday, October 18 at 2 PM, and the Earthquakes' home finale against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, October 31. Parking runs $30 to $55 by structure, gates open two hours before kickoff, and Caltrain's Santa Clara station is a 15 to 20 minute walk.
It is the only one of the big South Bay venues inside San Jose city limits, which changes the delivery math completely. More on that below.
October at PayPal Park
| Date | Match | Kickoff | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, October 17 | Earthquakes vs Nashville SC | 7:30 PM | Nashville are the reigning U.S. Open Cup champions |
| Sunday, October 18 | Bay FC vs Portland Thorns FC | 2 PM | NWSL; broadcast on ESPN |
| Saturday, October 31 | Earthquakes vs Real Salt Lake | Time to be announced | Regular-season home finale, on Halloween night |
The Earthquakes' own 2026 schedule announcement has the full list; the Halloween match time will be set closer to the date.
The essentials
| Address | Coleman Avenue at Earthquakes Way, San Jose, next to Mineta San Jose airport |
|---|---|
| Gates | Two hours before kickoff for Earthquakes matches; Bay FC opens two hours before on weekends and 90 minutes before on weekdays |
| Parking | Structures and lots from $30 to $55, cashless, open three hours before kickoff, closing one hour after |
| Bags | Clear bag up to 12 x 12 x 6 inches, a one-gallon clear zip bag, or a non-clear clutch up to 4.5 x 6.5 inches |
| Bag check | Free trailer on Earthquakes Way outside the Main Gate |
| Rideshare | South end of Aviation Avenue |
| Transit | Caltrain to Santa Clara station and walk; VTA Route 60 to the front door; BART to Berryessa with a free shuttle on Bay FC match days |
| Re-entry | None |
| Smoking | Prohibited throughout, vapes and lighters included |
Parking: every lot and what it costs
PayPal Park publishes its prices, which is rarer than it should be.
| Lot | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Parking Structure 1 (PS1) | $55 | Closest; sells out first |
| Parking Structure 2 (PS2) | $36 | |
| Parking Structure 4 | $30 | |
| Ford Tailgate Lot | $30 | The surface lot for people arriving early |
| ADA parking | $30 |
Lots open three hours before kickoff for Earthquakes matches and close one hour after the final whistle. Payment is credit, debit, mobile or a prepaid pass; cash is not accepted anywhere in the lots. Prepaid passes are sold through Tixr from the On the way out the structures are routed deliberately: Parking Structure 1 exits onto Earthquakes Way, Structure 2 onto Aviation from the lower floors and Earthquakes Way from the upper ones, and Structure 4 and the Ford Tailgate Lot onto Champions Way. Backing into the space is the club’s own advice for a faster exit.parking and directions page, and for a Saturday night match against a cup winner, prepaying is the difference between PS1 and a long walk.
Bay FC uses the same lots. Parking opens three hours before kickoff on weekends; weekday times vary and are posted per match.
Driving directions
From the 101, take the De La Cruz Boulevard exit, merge onto West Trimble Road to continue onto De La Cruz, then a slight left onto Coleman Avenue. From the 880, take Exit 3 for Coleman Avenue and the airport and turn right onto Coleman. From the 87 northbound, the fastest route is to join the 101 northbound and use the Trimble Road and De La Cruz exit, number 391.
Coleman Avenue carries airport traffic all day. On a 7:30 PM Saturday kickoff the pinch is between 6 and 7 PM, when the lots and the terminal traffic overlap. Arriving before 6 PM avoids most of it.
Getting there without a car
Caltrain. Ride to the Santa Clara station. From the platform, head east through the pedestrian tunnel onto Brokaw Road, turn right on Coleman Avenue, and the stadium is 15 to 20 minutes on foot. It is a flat, well-lit walk and the same route home. Check the last train north or south before a 7:30 PM match; a match that kicks off at 7:30 ends near 9:30, and the timetable thins out after that.
VTA bus. Route 60 stops at Coleman Avenue and Earthquakes Way, directly in front of the main entrance. It connects the Santa Clara Caltrain station and the airport area with the rest of the VTA network.
BART. For Bay FC matches a free shuttle runs from the Berryessa and North San Jose station, reached on the Orange or Green line. Cross to the northbound lane of Berryessa Station Way and look for the marked LuxBus pick-up zone. Shuttles to the ground start two hours before kickoff and stop at kickoff. Return shuttles begin 15 minutes after the final whistle from Earthquakes Way outside the main gate, and the last one leaves about an hour after. The Earthquakes run a separate free shuttle from Market and St. John streets by San Pedro Square for their own matches.
Bike. Designated bike parking sits by the main gate at the corner of Earthquakes Way and Champions Way, with a second rack further along the Earthquakes Way sidewalk. From downtown San Jose it is a short, flat ride up Coleman.
Rideshare
Drop-off and pickup for rideshare, taxis and limos are at the south end of Aviation Avenue, the street running along the airport side of the stadium. Lyft is Bay FC's official partner and uses the same zone. After a sold-out match, walking south along Coleman toward the airport before requesting shortens both the wait and the fare.
Getting in
Entry is mobile only and screenshots do not work. Both clubs use rotating barcodes, so the ticket has to be live in the app or in a phone wallet. Printed copies are refused at the gate.
There are three ways in. The Main Gate is on Earthquakes Way, the Supporters Gate sits at the south-east corner by section 122, and the Audi Gate inside the Audi Lot serves premium ticket holders and anyone using accessible parking. The box office, next to the Main Gate on Earthquakes Way, opens about two and a half hours before kickoff.
Approved bags are inspected on the way in and can be checked again inside. Anything that fails goes back to the car or into the free bag check trailer on Earthquakes Way between the box office and the Main Gate. Strollers cannot come in either, and the same trailer takes them at no charge.
On water, the two clubs differ. Bay FC allows one factory-sealed still water bottle of a litre or less per person, or one clear empty reusable bottle. The Earthquakes allow one clear, factory-sealed plastic bottle and specifically exclude sparkling water. Glass and metal are out either way.
The bag policy and the free bag check
PayPal Park allows clear backpacks, fanny packs, purses and totes no larger than 12 x 12 x 6 inches, and one-gallon clear zip-top bags. A non-clear clutch or fanny pack is fine if it is no larger than 4.5 x 6.5 inches. Diaper bags are allowed with a child present, one per family.
Anything else goes back to the car, or into the free bag check trailer on Earthquakes Way outside the Main Gate. Free bag check is unusual among Bay Area venues; Levi's charges $20 for the equivalent. The full list is on the guest services page, and Bay FC keeps a shorter version on its know before you go page.
Accessibility
Accessible parking is in the Audi Lot off Newhall Drive at $30, and it needs a valid placard and registration shown on arrival. The Audi Gate opens into that lot, so it is the shortest route in. Elevators behind sections 107 and 122 reach the upper level, and wheelchair lifts at sections 114 and 132 serve the accessible seats at the front of those sections.
Accessible seats sit in every price level, and both clubs sell them by phone rather than online: Bay FC on 833.GO.BAYFC, the Earthquakes on 408-556-7700. If you need a wheelchair to get to your seat, staff at any gate will bring one, or you can text 408.909.4625 and someone meets you. That text line is the stadium’s general help channel during a match, and it also covers lost property and the code for the nursing pod behind section 126.
Family restrooms are behind sections 103, 111, 115 and 126. First aid is in the FanFest area near section 134, with guest services on the concourse behind section 101. The stadium map marks a sensory room near section 122, though neither club publishes opening hours for it, so ask at a gate if you need it. Certified service animals are welcome; animals in training need authorisation from the club a day ahead.
Inside the ground
The Scoreboard Bar behind the south end is the stadium’s party piece, and at 310 feet the clubs call it the largest outdoor bar in North America. Food is spread around the concourse rather than concentrated: a grill, a pizza stand, Arteaga’s, Big Chicken, a carvery, soft serve, specialty popcorn, boba and several craft beer and wine carts.
Before an Earthquakes match the Habbas Law Epicenter at the north end runs shooting and passing challenges, mini foot golf and a free Kids Zone with inflatables, which needs a waiver signed at the check-in station. Bay FC runs FanFest on the grass behind the Scoreboard Bar from 90 minutes before kickoff, with rotating food trucks. There is no re-entry at either club, so plan to arrive once.
The south end is standing room. Bay FC and Earthquakes supporters both fill sections 117 and 118, with visiting fans at the top of section 134. Drums, horns and flags larger than three by five feet are prohibited everywhere except those supporter sections, and only with the operations team’s approval, which is why the noise comes from one end.
What stays home
Smoking is prohibited throughout PayPal Park, and the stadium's prohibited-items list covers anything smoking-related: cigarettes of any kind, vapes and e-cigarettes, and lighters. The stated penalty is ejection from the grounds. California law prohibits cannabis use in public regardless of the venue.
So the cannabis part of a match day happens at home, and for this stadium that is easier than for any other in the South Bay, because it is inside the San Jose delivery zone.
Delivery timing: this is the venue inside the Lotus NOW zone
PayPal Park is under three miles from the Purple Lotus store on Commercial Street. That puts it, and most of the neighborhoods people drive in from, inside the zone where Lotus NOW delivers in as little as 45 minutes, with most orders arriving within 45 to 90 minutes. Delivery runs 9 AM to 10 PM daily, and the last same-day orders go in at 9 PM.
| Match | Order for before | Order for after |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, October 17, 7:30 PM | An afternoon delivery, placed by mid afternoon | The match ends near 9:30 PM, past the 9 PM last call; add it to the afternoon order |
| Sunday, October 18, 2 PM | A morning window | Home by 5 PM with hours of delivery left; a 6 PM Lotus NOW order arrives the same evening |
| Saturday, October 31, time TBA | Depends on kickoff | Halloween is one of the busiest delivery nights of the year; order early in the day |
Orders carry a $50 minimum and a $3.99 flat fee, and first-time delivery customers get 30% off with code NEW30; offers do not stack. The live menu shows what is in stock right now and the deals page carries the day’s offers. Our guide to how fast delivery actually is explains why an afternoon order beats an evening one. Pickup is the other option: both stores are open 8 AM to 10 PM, and 752 Commercial Street is a five-minute drive from the stadium with the downtown store ten minutes south.
Where to eat
Coleman Avenue itself is airport hotels and not much else. Downtown San Jose is ten minutes south and has the widest choice; San Pedro Square Market is the reliable pre-match stop and stays open after a 9:30 PM finish. On the Santa Clara side, Franklin Street in downtown Santa Clara is five minutes west and never crowded on a match night. Inside the stadium, Bay FC's FanFest area behind the Scoreboard Bar rotates food trucks, and the stadium is cash-free throughout.