Rose Bowl 2027: CFP Quarterfinal vs 138th Rose Parade - How to Get There

Updated on July 20, 2026

For every New Year's Day, Pasadena is the hub of the sports and celebration world and January 1, 2027 will be no different. It's the first time this year that the historic Rose Parade floats parade down Colorado Boulevard in the morning and a nationally televised College Football Playoff Quarterfinal plays at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium. The day will be exciting, crowded and, if not planned for, traffic can be a major headache for those coming into Los Angeles for the event. Here is all the information you need about the event and how you can get there comfortably, on time and without the hassle of parking and getting caught in gridlock with Car Service Los Angeles.

Key Details & Events at Rose Bowl

• Date: Friday, January 1, 2027

The 113th Rose Bowl Game sponsored by Prudential will again occupy the calendar with the tradition of which the Rose Bowl Game was a part. This year's game will be a CFP quarterfinal, which means the victor will go straight to the CFP semifinals — making the match even bigger and the excitement in the stadium a lot higher than a bowl game.

• Events: The CFP Quarterfinal takes place in conjunction with the traditional 138th Rose Parade with the theme “Welcome.” Produced by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, the parade is one of the biggest New Year's Day events in the country, with as many as a million people lining up to watch as it passes through Pasadena before the football games even start. The two competing programs will be finalized in December after the College Football Playoff bracket is completed, and the seeding will give fans a small window to make plans to visit, albeit an electric one.
• Broadcast: The game will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN, with a kickoff time of 1:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Like previous CFP quarter final windows, exact kick-off time and complete broadcast info will be confirmed closer to the game when the bowls are finalized, so fans planning to be on the field should make sure to be on time for both possible kick-offs.

From the early morning parade route closures to the Rose Bowl's big game fans, this is one of the trickiest travel days of the year in the greater Los Angeles/Pasadena area, and that's where a dedicated, professional car service becomes valuable.

Rose Bowl Weekend Car Service: Why You Need a Professional Car Service for Rose Bowl Weekend

With the Rose Parade and CFP Quarter Finals being held the same day, it also requires taking care of traffic closures, the surge in rideshare requests and the lack of parking around the stadium, while still trying to have a good time. Car Service Los Angeles specializes in this kind of high-demand, high-stakes event transportation, and offers executive black car and limo service in Los Angeles, Pasadena and Orange County. Here's the layout of the service to accommodate a day such as Rose Bowl 2027.

Pickup Points

No matter where you depart from, Car Service Los Angeles will pick you up from there. If you're coming into LAX, Hollywood Burbank, Long Beach, Ontario or John Wayne Airport, or you are staying at a downtown LA, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena or Glendale hotel, your driver will meet you at a pre-arranged location. On Rose Bowl weekend, this is a huge deal since much of Pasadena is closed down starting early in the morning for the parade, and a driver who knows where and when to pick him or her up (Rose Bowl Stadium lots, hotel loops or a nearby staging area outside the closed area) will prevent guests from having to go on foot through closed intersections.

Vehicles We Provide

The fleet is designed for all sized groups and all levels of comfort:

• Sedans: Mercedes E-Class, Lincoln Continental, etc. — business class sedans for couples or single travellers
• First Class Sedans: Mercedes S-Class and Cadillac sedans that offer an improvement in ride level for an executive quality experience
• Luxury SUVs: Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, GMC Yukon XL Denali, and Chevy Suburban with space for gear, blankets and gameday tailgates seats up to six passengers
• Executive Sprinter Vans seating up to 14, perfect for large families or groups travelling to the stadium together, sharing the cost of the van.
• Stretch Limousines: for people who want to make the day a true celebration (8 passengers)
• Party Buses: up to 24 passengers, full of entertainment and lighting, ideal for big alumni groups, tailgate crews and corporate outings.
• Rolls Royce Phantom VIII: for the ones who wish to arrive at the Granddaddy of Them All in equally grand fashion.

All the cars are late model, professionally detailed and kept to the same standards you would expect for both corporate travel and weddings and VIP sporting events.

Matched Schedule

The parade in the morning and the game in the afternoon/evening are two separate timelines which can change for road closures and crowd flow on Rose Bowl day. Car Service Los Angeles creates each pickup based on your specific trip, not a rigid window with a single time, and takes into account your need for an early pickup to see parade viewing along Colorado Boulevard, a re-positioning window as streets open back up, and a scheduled time of arrival at the stadium that avoids the FanFest crowd. Flight tracking is also included in airport pickups, meaning if your inbound flight is scheduled to land later on the morning of the 1st, your live driver will automatically adjust, leaving you from getting stuck at baggage claim, on the busiest day of the year.

Teams

With the two CFP Quarterfinal teams not being finalized until the draw of the playoff bracket in December, plans for the fans tend to come together late in the game. Whether you're a traveling fan base flying in en masse once your team is confirmed, a local alumni chapter organizing a group ride, or a corporate partner hosting clients in a suite, Car Service Los Angeles can be scaled up or down (sedan to party bus) as the headcount of your group solidifies in the weeks leading up to kickoff.

Chauffeurs

All drivers are professionally trained, background checked, and experienced, particularly with major events in the Los Angeles area, and not just airport runs. That local expertise makes the difference between being stuck in a closure-zone bottleneck and cruising through an alternate route your chauffeur knows for a day like the Rose Bowl. Drivers also receive training on how to drive for high-profile clientele, with experience driving for corporate travelers, wedding parties and guests attending events at SoFi Stadium, the Rose Bowl and Crypto.com Arena.

LA Traffic

Everyday traffic in Los Angeles is tough enough; on Rose Bowl morning it's a whole other level of difficulty after the Rose Parade blocks off large sections of main streets in Pasadena starting before dawn, and then another 90,000 people descend upon the stadium. During the morning and afternoon, Car Service Los Angeles chauffeurs are actively watching and monitoring the real-time stadium lot access points, Metro A Line shuttle routes and road closures as they happen, and they modify accordingly. No more circling to park, no more parking in an open cross-street and no more missed kickoff due to a closure that nobody told you about.

Ride to Book Your Rose Bowl 2027 Today!

Jan. 1, 2027 is expected to be one of the largest event days in Los Angeles as the city hosts the 138th Rose Parade followed by a CFP Quarterfinal telecast across the country on ESPN and ABC. The 24 hours a day, flat rate pricing on events and fleet of cars that can be arranged from executive sedans to full party buses, all with an eye to the unique timing issues that exist on Rose Parade and Rose Bowl day is Car Service Los Angeles.

• Call now: +1 (424) 386-2865 or +1 (800) 385-5158
• Book online: https://carservicelosangeles.us/booking-form