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.

Courtesy photo

Tailgating will be a big, organized group event.

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Holiday Travel News

The busiest day at DFW Airport and more holiday travel tips

Photo courtesy of DFW Airport

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Thanksgiving holiday travel is about to get heavy and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is gearing up with an estimated 3 million customers flowing through the airport between November 20 and December 2.

According to a release, the peak travel time period will be on the evening of Sunday, November 30.

Busiest travel days
Large crowds are expected throughout the holiday period with four peak travel days anticipated for local departing and arriving customers.

The airport’s roads and terminal curbs are anticipated to be the busiest on the following days:

Friday, November 21
Wednesday, November 26
Saturday, November 29
Sunday, November 30

Sunday, November 30 is expected to be the single busiest day with an estimated 269,000 travelers passing through DFW as customers return from the long holiday weekend.

Customers departing or arriving any day of the holiday season should expect heavy traffic across the airport’s roadways, particularly approaching the terminals from the north, and along the terminal curbs. These areas are likely to see higher levels of congestion than usual.

Heavy traffic is also expected at Terminal C due to ongoing construction in that area. Customers flying American Airlines have the flexibility to check in at any terminal, and then get to their gate via the Skylink train, thereby avoiding the traffic jam at Terminal C.

How early to arrive
DFW always recommends arriving early but this holiday season, they are encouraging travelers to arrive extra early during the Thanksgiving travel period, with a recommended 60 to 90 minutes extra to their usual plans. At minimum, travelers should arrive at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight.

The extra time will provide flexibility for customers navigating traffic, construction areas, and parking availability, as well as check-in and security screening during peak times.

Getting to and from
Parking: Customers should book parking in advance using the DFW website or mobile app, and use public transit when possible. When entering or exiting through DFW’s parking plazas, dedicated TollTag lanes are the quickest option.

Public transportation:

DART’s New Silver Line: This new service, launched in October, originates in Plano and stops in several cities along the way to DFW’s Terminal B, including Richardson, Addison, Carrollton and Coppell – bypassing downtown Dallas for a faster northern route.
DART’s Orange Line: Service extends from Plano, through downtown Dallas and Irving, before arriving at Terminal A.
Trinity Metro’s TEXRail: Starts in downtown Fort Worth, passing through North Richland Hills and Grapevine to Terminal B – offering an easy west-side connection.
Trinity Railway Express (TRE): Connects Dallas and Fort Worth to the CentrePort/DFW Airport Station, with transfers via the TRE Link Shuttle.

Curbside protocol
Curbside areas are reserved for active loading and unloading only. Customers waiting to pick up passengers are encouraged to use the airport’s cell phone lots or one-hour parking located in the terminal parking garages at no additional charge.

New entrance into Terminal B and detours into Terminal A
DFW is currently entrenched in a complex construction project: transitioning access into Terminals A, B, and C to new right-hand exits from International Parkway, rather than the confusing left-hand exits it had previously. That's a currently ongoing thing and there are various detours underway to support the current phase of construction activity.

Terminal B: Customers flying out of Terminal B now access the terminal with new right-hand exits from International Parkway.

Terminal A: Customers departing out of Terminal A and arriving to the airport from the south will detour past the existing Terminal A entrance and take the left-hand U-turn before the North Exit Plaza to redirect to Terminal A’s southbound entrance. Signage along International Parkway will direct drivers through areas with adjusted traffic flow.

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