San Jose Civic: Parking, Seating Chart, Bag Policy and What's On
The San Jose Civic at 135 West San Carlos Street in downtown San Jose has 2,850 seats, with up to 137 ADA-compliant spaces, and its visitor rules prohibit any bag or backpack larger than 10 by 10 inches.
What and where is the San Jose Civic?
The Civic stands on West San Carlos Street, across the street from the San Jose McEnery Convention Center at 150 West San Carlos. Binder & Curtis designed it in the Spanish California Mission style, and Visit San Jose dates the renovation that updated its seats, technology and accessibility to 2012. It was the San Jose Civic Auditorium until 2013 and the City National Civic from 2013 to 2019.
Visit San Jose's own pages disagree on its age. The venue listing says it opened in 1936, and the theater rentals page says 1934. The listing's roll of past performers includes Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Barbra Streisand, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, and it says The Who launched their first headlining U.S. tour there in 1968. Boxing and political events have used the room as well.
Team San Jose runs the Civic together with the Center for the Performing Arts, the California Theatre and the Montgomery Theater. One visitor FAQ covers all four, and the rules in this guide come from it. A rule you learned at the California Theatre will usually hold here.
San Jose Civic events: November and December 2026
| Date | Show | Style | Listed time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, November 15 | Marisela, Eterna Tour 2026 | Latin | 7 PM |
| Wednesday, November 18 | Alice Cooper, Alice's Attic Tour | Rock | 8 PM |
| Saturday, November 21 | Arcángel, La 8va Maravilla World Tour | Latin urbano | 8 PM |
| Sunday, December 6 | Alicia Villarreal, Bendita Locura Tour | Regional Mexican | 8 PM |
| Wednesday, December 9 | Jamey Johnson, Traveling Truebadour Tour | Country | 8 PM |
| Sunday, December 13 | Silvestre Dangond | Vallenato | 8 PM |
This table is a selection of concerts, read from the individual listings on October 30, 2026. The Visit San Jose theaters calendar lists more dates at the Civic.
Each listing asks readers to confirm details with the organizer or the box office, because dates and times can move. None of the six gives a door time or an end time, and none says whether the main floor is reserved or general admission. Those answers should be on your ticket or on the show's Ticketmaster page.
San Jose Civic parking: garages and rates
Visit San Jose's Civic listing sends drivers to the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, and its downtown parking page puts that garage less than two blocks from the Civic. South Hall and the 2nd and San Carlos garage are the next two to try. The Convention Center and South Hall rates below come from that undated page, which read the same on November 3. ParkSJ, the city's parking site, could not be read for this guide, so the rates posted at each entrance are the ones that count.
| Garage | Entrance or address | Listed rate | Special event rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convention Center | Market Street and South Almaden Boulevard, between Balbach/Viola and West San Carlos | $1 per 15 minutes, $25 to $30 daily maximum | Flat rates up to $25 |
| South Hall | Behind the Convention Center, from South Market at Viola or from Balbach at South Almaden | $7 daily flat fee, no overnight parking | $7 to $25 |
| 2nd and San Carlos | 280 South 2nd Street | As posted at the entrance | As posted at the entrance |
A convention and a concert on the same night draw on the same spaces. At the listed $1 per 15 minutes, a four-hour stay at the Convention Center comes to $16. Visit San Jose's page lists event flat rates of up to $25 there and $7 to $25 at South Hall, but it does not say whether a Civic concert counts as an event, so read the sign before you pull in.
On a night with no special event rate, South Hall's $7 flat fee costs less than the Convention Center's listed rate for any stay longer than 1 hour 45 minutes. Visit San Jose's page rules out overnight parking there and gives no closing time, so check the posted hours if your show could run late.
The 2nd and San Carlos garage sits two streets east of Market. ParkSJ's own pages, in archived copies from April to July 2026, listed it and the Convention Center garage as open 24 hours and said the city's retailer validation program ended in 2020, although Visit San Jose's undated page still describes that program. The sign at the entrance outranks both.
San Jose Civic seating chart
San Jose Theaters publishes the official San Jose Civic seating chart as a PDF. The theaters' technical specifications, revised in May 2026, split the 2,850 seats into three areas and count the seats listed as obstructed view.
| Area | Seats | Listed as obstructed view |
|---|---|---|
| Main Floor | 1,028 | None listed |
| Dress Circle | 628 | 49 |
| Balcony | 1,194 | 90 |
| Total | 2,850 | 139 |
That total assumes rows K to S of Section 105 are taken out to make room for the full sound and lighting mixing area, so a chart drawn for one concert can differ from the venue's standard plan. The seating chart PDF is older than those specifications: dated April 29, 2019, it marks 52 Dress Circle seats and 142 seats in all as obstructed view.
The seat map on your show's Ticketmaster page is the one to buy from. The rentals page says general admission and flexible seating plans are both available, so the setup can change from one event to the next. A venue plan cannot tell you which setup a show uses, or which seats remain.
If the sightline matters in the Dress Circle or the Balcony, ask the box office about the exact seat before you buy.
What is the capacity of the San Jose Civic?
Visit San Jose's theater rentals page gives 2,850 seats, and the theaters' technical specifications call that the theater-style maximum. They put the general admission maximum at 3,322, including a mixing area and a barricade. Wikipedia prints 3,036 seats and 3,326 for general admission, and neither official source uses those numbers.
| Theater | Seats | ADA-compliant spaces |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose Civic | 2,850 | Up to 137 |
| Center for the Performing Arts | 2,608 | 20 |
| California Theatre | 1,122 | Up to 14 |
| Montgomery Theater | 468 | Up to 8 |
On the rentals page's figures, the Civic has 242 more seats than the Center for the Performing Arts, the next biggest of the four theaters, and up to 137 ADA-compliant spaces against 20.
What bags are allowed at the San Jose Civic?
The visitor FAQ for San Jose's four theaters prohibits backpacks and bags larger than 10 by 10 inches and makes every bag subject to search. It gives two dimensions and no depth, and it says nothing about clear bags.
SAP Center takes bags up to 20 x 14 x 11 inches, so a bag that clears security on West Santa Clara Street can fail on West San Carlos. Levi's Stadium sets a different test: a clear bag no larger than 12 x 6 x 12 inches. A clear stadium bag at that size is still wider than 10 inches, so it does not pass here on transparency alone.
Measure the bag at home, because the door offers no fallback. Prohibited items have to go back to your vehicle, the theaters hold nothing on site, and anything confiscated is discarded and not returned. Rail riders have no vehicle to go back to.
What else is prohibited at the San Jose Civic?
The same FAQ prohibits these items:
- Outside food or drink, alcohol included
- Professional cameras, detachable lenses, video cameras and tripods
- Laptops, tablets and similar devices
- Signs, banners, flags, poles and selfie sticks
- Balloons, balls and frisbees
- Klaxons, bullhorns, whistles and laser pointers
- Weapons and illegal substances
The laptop rule matters for anyone coming straight from work on a Wednesday, and a detachable lens is enough to fail the camera rule, whatever the camera. Conduct is on the list too: intoxicated or disorderly behavior, fighting, threats, harassing performers, patrons or staff, and ignoring ushers, venue managers or police.
The theaters' list prohibits smoking and vaping, and it states that cannabis may not be smoked, vaped or ingested in any public place.
There are no in-and-out privileges, so once you leave the building you cannot come back in. An artist or event can add to the prohibited list, and the venue says it may increase security for any show. Read the notes on your ticket.
Over-the-counter medication must be factory-sealed, vitamins and supplements stay out, and a prescription needs your photo ID and the labeled, in-date bottle in your name, one medication per bottle.
How the San Jose Civic box office works
One central box office, run by Team San Jose's TSJ Ticketing division, handles advance tickets for all four theaters, and it is at the Civic. Hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 12 PM to 5 PM, and they can change on holidays, so the FAQ asks you to call first at 408-792-4111. It also says email to tickets@sanjose.org is the surest way to get a timely reply.
On Civic event days the box office typically opens two hours ahead of the start and stays open for 30 minutes after it. For an 8 PM concert that means roughly 6 PM to 8:30 PM. It accepts cash, Visa, Mastercard and American Express. A 5-minute loading zone sits out front during business hours.
Who sold your ticket decides who can help you. Civic concerts go through Ticketmaster at 800-653-8000, and if you bought from an outside vendor such as Ticketmaster or AXS, the FAQ says to contact that vendor directly. Tickets bought from anyone other than the event's official ticketing partner are at your own risk. The theaters say they cannot verify those tickets and do not guarantee entry.
Check your delivery method when you buy. Mobile tickets scan from your phone, and electronic TicketFast tickets have to be printed at home. The FAQ's will call answer names the other three theaters and leaves out the Civic, so ask the box office if you expect to collect tickets on the night, and bring a government-issued photo ID.
If you leave something behind, call lost and found at 408-277-3500 with a description of the item, the theater and the date.
How to get to the San Jose Civic without driving
VTA light rail
Convention Center station is the stop you want. Its platform sits in the median of West San Carlos Street between Almaden Boulevard and Market Street, with the Civic across the street, and both the Blue Line and the Green Line stop there. Do not confuse it with VTA's Civic Center station, which is five stops north, a further 12 minutes on the Green Line and 18 on the Blue Line.
An adult single ride costs $2.50 by Clipper or cash, and Clipper adds two hours of transfers. The 8-Hour Light Rail Pass costs $5, sold only at light rail station ticket machines. A round trip at $2.50 each way already comes to $5, so the pass pays off only from a third ride. VTA also takes contactless Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards for adult fares.
VTA's route pages showed the same late departures from Convention Center for weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays when read on October 30, 2026.
| Train | Time at Convention Center | Ends at |
|---|---|---|
| Green Line toward Diridon, last train | 11:47 PM | Winchester, 12:04 AM |
| Blue Line toward Tamien, last train | 12:07 AM | Santa Teresa, 12:31 AM |
| Green Line north, last train to Old Ironsides | 10:42 PM | Old Ironsides, 11:17 PM |
| Blue Line north, last train to Baypointe | 11:04 PM | Baypointe, 11:32 PM |
| Green Line north, last train of the night | 12:12 AM | Civic Center station, 12:24 AM |
| Blue Line north, last train of the night | 12:38 AM | Civic Center station, 12:56 AM |
VTA calls its times approximate and asks riders to reach the stop at least five minutes early.
Caltrain
Caltrain stops at San Jose Diridon, two stops from Convention Center on the Green Line, a ride of five or six minutes. The last two northbound trains leave Diridon at 10:30 PM and 11:30 PM, weekdays and weekends alike. The 11:30 PM train reaches Palo Alto just before midnight and San Francisco at 12:48 AM on weekdays and 12:50 AM on weekends.
To catch the 11:30 PM, board the 11:18 PM Green Line at Convention Center, which reaches Diridon at 11:23 PM. The next train arrives at 11:52 PM, 22 minutes too late. For the 10:30 PM, the same connection is the 10:18 PM, reaching Diridon at 10:23 PM.
Caltrain's alerts page lists construction at San Jose Diridon from October 19 into December. Follow the posted signs and check the monitors for track changes. The times here came from Caltrain's schedule page on October 30, 2026.
BART
BART ends at Berryessa/North San Jose, short of downtown. VTA's Rapid 500 connects Berryessa with San Jose Diridon and stops at Santa Clara and 1st, and the Blue and Green Lines then run from Santa Clara station to Convention Center in about five minutes. Going back, the last listed Rapid 500 toward Berryessa leaves Santa Clara and 2nd at 11:31 PM on weekdays, 11:28 PM on Saturdays and 11:30 PM on Sundays, and reaches Berryessa at 11:41 or 11:42 PM. VTA says Rapid buses may leave up to five minutes ahead of the listed time. BART's station page lists the last weekday train from Berryessa at 11:49 PM toward OAK Airport and Richmond. Check BART's timetable for Saturday and Sunday.
Pick-up and drop-off
VTA lists no passenger pick-up or drop-off at Convention Center station, and the theaters name no rideshare zone. Settle on a corner along San Carlos or Market with your driver ahead of time.
Accessibility at the San Jose Civic
Contact the box office at least two weeks ahead for ADA and companion seating, ASL interpretation, open captioning, audio description or other access needs. Its phone line keeps the same Tuesday to Saturday hours as the counter.
Assistive listening devices are available at every performance. Ask an usher at entry, and a photo ID is held until the device comes back.
Service animals as defined by the ADA are welcome: dogs trained to perform a task directly related to a disability, kept under the handler's control at all times. Emotional support animals do not qualify.
VTA's page for Convention Center station lists wheelchair boarding, with no elevator or escalator. ParkSJ's pages, in archived copies from 2026, counted 14 ADA public spaces at the Convention Center garage and 11 at 2nd and San Carlos, and said all drivers must pay in its garages. It gives no count for South Hall.
About Purple Lotus
Purple Lotus has two stores in San Jose, open 8 AM to 10 PM daily, and an online menu.
Purple Lotus holds two Adult-Use retail licenses from the California Department of Cannabis Control: C10-0000241-LIC for 752 Commercial St, San Jose, and C10-0001440-LIC for 66 W Santa Clara St, San Jose. Every purchase needs a valid government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older.