Frogs in the Natty

TCU fans' guide to tailgating, parking, and parties at the CFP National Championship in L.A.

It's a weekend full of festivities in Los Angeles for the College Football Playoff National Championship

College Football Playoff

Thousands of TCU fans will descend on the City of Angels this weekend to witness the Horned Frogs play No. 1 Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship. The game itself is at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Monday, January 9 (4:30 pm Pacific, 6:30 pm Central). As Dallas-Fort Worth fans scurry to secure flights, hotel accommodations, transportation, and those pricey tickets, details on the many festivities leading up the game may have been missed. Here’s a quick overview of fan-friendly events happening all weekend long, including tips on parking, tailgating (is there tailgating?), maps, and more.

Staying home for the game? Head over to Fort Worth for the 12 best watch parties at local bars and restaurants.

SoFi Stadium Quick Facts
The elaborate SoFi Stadium opened in September 2020 and is the centerpiece of a district called Hollywood Park, a 300-acre sports and entertainment destination located in Inglewood, California. It’s the home of the Los Angeles Chargers and the Los Angele Rams NFL teams. Fun fact: the stadium is slated to host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2028 Olympics. It can seat up to 100,000 people with expandable seating and is the largest stadium in the NFL.

At 70,000 square feet, SoFi’s Infinity Screen is the largest videoboard ever created in sports. It’s 120 yards long and holds about 2.2 million pounds of digital LED. It’ the only dual-sided, center-hung videoboard in the world. No matter where your seats are, you won’t miss one play.

Parking at SoFi for the National Championship
Parking is extremely limited with digital permits available for purchase only in advance for on-site and off-site lots. Stadium parking lots will open at 10 am and will remain open for two hours after the end of the game. Here’s a map for reference.

Another option is Inglewood Park & Go – remote parking with shuttle service that runs every 15 minutes. A bus rideshare service called Rally will also provide roundtrip transportation to the game from various districts around the Los Angeles area. A minimum number of riders is required.

Tailgating
To be clear, tailgating is prohibited for this game, so leave the coolers tents behind. (Apparently this is a College Football Playoff rule for the National Championship, not a rule of SoFi Stadium or California in general.)

But there is an official tailgate hosted by the College Football Playoff. Called the Allstate Championship Tailgate, the free event is open to all ticket holders. Running from 10 am-4 pm on game day January 9, the sponsored tailgate will be held in lots B and C outside SoFi Stadium. It will feature interactive games, sponsor activations, concessions, live broadcasts by ESPN, and performances by both TCU and Georgia marching bands. There’ll also be live concerts by Kelsea Ballerini and Yiera Kennedy.

TCU is also hosting a tailgate, but tickets are already sold out.

Playoff Fan Central
This three-day, family-friendly event, which runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 am-6 pm daily, is free to attend and will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center South Hall. Go for games, clinics, band performances, special guest appearances, autograph sessions, and exhibits celebrating the history of college football. Note that TCU star running back and NFL Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson will appear on Sunday at 11 am for a live podcast recording for "Always College Football" with football commentator Greg McElroy. Here’s the full schedule of appearances.

Extra Yard 5K
Looking to burn a few calories before the big game? Sign up for the College Football Playoff’s family-friendly 5K race (that’s 3.1 miles) to held at 8 am on Sunday in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Each participant will receive a t-shirt and a finisher medal. Registration is $50, or $40 for teachers and educators. Proceeds will benefit the College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers initiative. Registration ends Saturday night at midnight.

Taste of the Championship
If you don’t want to mess with dinner reservations and still get an exclusive taste of everything delicious Los Angeles has to offer, buy tickets for Taste of the Championship, happening 4-7 pm Sunday at a chic LA event space called Hudson Loft. The fundraiser event will feature gourmet food and drinks be prepared and served by local chefs via meet-and-greet stations. Proceeds from the $300 ticket will benefit the College Football Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers initiative.

Other good things to know

Only clear bags are allowed inside SoFi Stadium and they should not be bigger than 12” x 6” x 12”. Small clutch purses are permitted, but they can’t exceed 4” x 6”.
There’s also a College Football Playoff app for those who want to keep updated with breaking news and game updates.

Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images

Horned Frogs will be painting the town purple.

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Travel advisory

Top tips to navigate DFW Airport during busy, busy spring break 2026

DFW Airport

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Spring break travel through Dallas Fort Worth International Airport will require some planning and patience for both passengers and their chauffeurs. According to a release, 4.7 million customers are expected to travel to, from, and through the airport during the 2026 spring break travel period, March 5-March 24.

The busiest days (when curbsides and routes in and out of the airport will be most congested) are expected to be the weekends of March 13-16 and March 20-23, they say.

The top three overall busiest days, and volume of customers traveling to, through, or from DFW, are expected to be:

March 15: 262,000
March 22: 259,000
March 13: 253,000

The top five busiest days, and volume of customers beginning or ending their trip at DFW, are expected to be:

March 22: 126,000
March 13: 125,000
March 15: 123,000
March 12: 118,000
March 19: 116,000

"With many North Texas school districts observing spring break during the same week of March 16-20, travel demand will be more concentrated than usual, making it especially important for customers to plan ahead - including prebooking parking, allowing extra travel time and using DFW’s digital tools to help navigate peak conditions," airport officials say in the release.

Terminal curbs and access roadways will experience the highest congestion from late morning hours into the early evening each day, they say. There will also be especially heavy traffic when approaching terminals from the north, they say.

"Terminal C roadway detours remain in place on International Parkway as bridge construction continues," they advise. "Terminal C is only accessible via the southbound entrance from International Parkway. Customers arriving from the sout, will be required to travel northbound past all terminal entrances and take the left-hand U-turn exit before the North Exit Plaza to return to southbound International Parkway. Then, all customers will take the existing left-hand exit to Terminal C."

Here are some tips they give to help make travel through DFW Airport smoother during spring break:

Arrive early: Plan to arrive at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights. Using drivetime apps to check traffic conditions will ensure proper planning of transit times needed to park, check-in and clear security screening ahead of departure.

The DFW Airport mobile app, available on iOS and Android, can help provide:

Live parking availability and security wait times.
Terminal-specific alerts and construction updates.
Push notifications for helpful information.

Consider public transit: DART's Silver Line connects Plano to Terminal B with stops in Richardson, Addison, Carrollton and Coppell, while DART’s Orange Line, with service from Plano, downtown Dallas, and Irving provides direct access to Terminal A. Trinity Metro’s TEXRail connects riders to Terminal B. Additionally, Trinity Railway Express (TRE) offers service from Dallas and Fort Worth to CentrePort/DFW Airport Station, with terminal access via the TRE Link shuttle. For details on transit schedules and fares, visit DART or Trinity Metro.

Prebook parking: By prebooking parking online, customers can get the best rates as well as save decision-making time when arriving at the airport. In addition to terminal parking options, Express and Remote parking lots provide quick and convenient shuttle service to every terminal.

Follow curbside rules and parking protocols: DFW officials remind that terminal curbs are reserved for active loading and unloading only. Customers waiting to pick up passengers should use designated free cell phone lots or one-hour parking inside terminal garages.

A perk for AA customers: Customers flying American Airlines may check in at any terminal and go through security at the location with the shortest wait times, then connect to their gate using Skylink. Based on live traffic conditions, access into Terminals A, B and C are typically quickest from the north, while Terminals D and E are generally easiest to access from the south, they advise.

airport airlines tips spring break