Taking Kids to a Football Game at UC Berkeley: A Family Guide to Cal Football
When I began attending the University of California Berkeley, lovingly known as “Cal,” I didn’t realize I was starting a long-term relationship with Cal Athletics, and even more specifically, Cal Football. Many of the friendships I have to this day, including meeting my partner AND the connections I have to this blog’s founders, are thanks to my participation in Cal Band and all the work that gets put into the Game Day fanfare.
My partner and I are truly loyal Bear fans—we are Cal Football Season Ticket Holders and make an effort to travel to some away games. Naturally, when our family grew, we made the decision that we wanted to include our kids in the experience and brought our eldest to her first game when she was just shy of 2 months old. Our second was already 9 months old by the time the season started this year.
Here’s what I’ve learned about bringing an infant and a toddler to a UC Berkeley Cal Football game at the historic California Memorial Stadium.
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Quick Tips
Before You go
- See the football schedule to find a date that works for you. Reserve your tickets online.
- Check the Gameday Guide for the most reliable information on what you can and cannot bring into the stadium.
- Plan ahead for parking. Street parking around campus is limited and can require permits depending on the location. See our parking tips below.
- Heed the “clear bag policy.” This policy is meant to speed up security checks and means that bags must be gallon-sized Ziploc bags or clear bags that are 12” x 12” x 6” or smaller. Anything bigger or not clear can be left in the free bag check areas, where you can pick up free clear bags.
- If you have a kid in diapers, you can bring a diaper bag! “You must have the infant(s) present for which the diaper bag is being carried when the diaper bag is screened. Fans with infants with diaper bags can enter through all gates, but must enter the far left lane of each gate and are subject to additional screening by security personnel.”
- Charge your phone! You’ll need to to access those mobile tickets, and to take adorable pictures of your kids with Oski.
What To Pack
Just as I suggested for a trip to Walt Disney World, my top tip is to pack as light as possible. I have brought my diaper bag to games with our eldest, but I’ve since learned that we can travel lighter. I used to pack that bag FULL of supplies: diapers, wipes, back up outfits, a bottle of milk with an ice pack, changing pad, headphones, hat. Anything baby just might need, I packed it. Now we know infants sleep a lot, and kids don’t need much. Here’s what items made it to the final pack:
What Gear to Bring
- Compact, foldable travel stroller (can be used by either child, we love this one)
- Baby carrier
- Wallet with just the necessities
- ID
- Credit card
- Transit/clipper card
- Cash for students selling water outside the stadium or at local restaurants to avoid credit card fees
- Two clear bags (as allowed in the bag policy – see below)
Costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tickets | $20 |
| Parking | ~$45 at a University lot, varies |
| Transportation | Uber, bus fare: $7 |
| Add-Ons | |
| Food & drinks | |
| Shopping and souvenirs | |
The Ultimate Guide to Bringing Your Kids Under-4 to a Cal Football Game
How to Get There
I’m going to let you in on a little secret—parking is wild on game day. You also have the options of public transportation. Here are my tips to make the trip there a little easier:
Prior to having children and depending on how late a game started, I would park at a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station and take it to the Downtown Berkeley station. From there I’d maybe grab food in the Shattuck area and head to campus for game day festivities.
As much as my family encourages the use of public transit, we understand that with children under 4, it might be more convenient to have your vehicle near campus.
But if you can, take BART, a Bus (AC Transit lines go to campus, see here for a timetable), or a Lyft to Cal Memorial Stadium and save the stress of finding parking.
Where to find Street Parking & Free Shuttles
There are plenty of city and University parking lots that charge ~$45 for a full day of parking. This price fluctuates depending on the estimated attendance. See UC Berkeley parking map here and city parking information here.
Fraternity & private student homes tend to sell their parking spots on game day. I have had friends do this, but it’s up to your preference on whether to park on private residential property. If you’re interested in this option, drive down Piedmont Avenue near campus and around to see parking availability signs advertised on the street.
Where to find paid parking
There are plenty of city and University parking lots that charge ~$45 for a full day of parking. This price fluctuates depending on the estimated attendance. See UC Berkeley parking map here and city parking information here.
Fraternity & private student homes tend to sell their parking spots on game day. I have had friends do this, but it’s up to your preference on whether to park on private residential property. If you’re interested in this option, drive down Piedmont Avenue near campus and around to see parking availability signs advertised on the street.
What to Pack in the Allotted Two Clear Bags
- Clear bag #1
Lightweight blanket: use for shade or breastfeeding cover
Ear protection: headphones for kids, ear plugs for adults. My partner and I don’t always utilize our earplugs, but we typically keep these on us every time we go out. We played on the drumline, so it’s just a habit.
Sweaters, even if you’re at a hot afternoon game. It gets cool quickly when it gets dark.
A set of extra clothes for the kids, just in case - Clear bag #2
3 sealed bottles of water
Variety of snacks for all ages. Don’t just bring one type. I’ve found that our kids get “bored” if I only have one kind of snack.
A couple of small toys
About 5 Diapers and travel-sized wipes packed in a Dopp kit
Recommended Pre-Game Activities
Pre-Game at Sproul Hall
Try to arrive to the game two hours early and head straight to Sproul Hall, which is close to Telegraph Avenue and a 10-minute walk West from Cal Memorial Stadium, to:
- Watch the Cal Band Drumline warm-up two hours before kick-off at Lower Sproul.
- See the pre-game Rally 1.5 hours before kick-off at Sproul Hall. The Rally includes performances by Cal Band, Cheerleading, Dance Team, Yell Leaders, and Oski!
- Catch Oski for a photo op after the rally finishes. He is our favorite mascot and by far the cutest in college football. No, we’re not biased.
- Follow the band up to Cal Memorial Stadium in a parade and dance along to the music. It is a 10-minute uphill walk through the Cal campus.
Pre-Game at Tailgate Town
Tailgate Town is located at Maxwell Family Field just Northeast of Cal Memorial Stadium. The tailgate festivities begin three hours before game time. If you don’t want to do the rally, this is an option, or you can just stop by right before entering the stadium.
Activities include:
- Kids Zone
- Beer garden and concessions
- Cornhole Zone
- Tables and Seating for the Public
- Sponsored giveaways
Recommended Game-Time Activities
Keeping your kids entertained in their seats
Make sure to bring:
- Snacks, and lots of them
- Coloring books and crayons
Find seats with empty space around them so your kids can climb on the bleachers without disrupting fellow game watchers.
We’ll take her to wander around the stadium, as well. There’s a kid’s area at the 50-yard line on the Concourse level between sections G and GG that have activities to entertain the littles and space for them to run around. This Blue & Gold Zone is open from 1.5 hours before kick-off to the end of the third quarter.
Take a walk
How to Nurse an Infant at the Stadium
Lactation rooms
Lactation Rooms are available…but, ugh. They are not welcoming. They are not comfortable. They are just private spaces that used to be family bathrooms, now sans-toilet. They each have a changing table, a folding table to set your things on, a sink, a speaker to hear game updates, and a plastic chair to sit in. To be honest, I would much rather feed my kid from my seat, on the grass at Lisa & Douglas Goldman Plaza, or the Concourse level.
If you forgot your nursing cover or are brave enough to try a Lactation Room, you can find them behind sections X and I on the West Concourse level.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms along the top East Rim are all portable toilets. If you can make your way to the concourse level bathrooms, those are preferred. Bathroom amenities there include sunscreen and changing tables. Unfortunately the bathrooms in the field club areas do NOT have changing tables (but maybe we can band together and petition for some in the future?!).
If you’re working on potty training or have a newly potty-trained kiddo, check out our blog post for our favorite potty-on-the-go recommendations.
Where to Eat
BYO Food
Sealed non-alcoholic drinks in plastic bottles and outside food are permitted inside the stadium. Remember you must fit everything you’re bringing into the clear plastic bags (see above) unless you have a child in diapers!
There is a large selection of delicious grab-and-go restaurants around the college campus. Sometimes we’ll grab a banh mi or other sandwiches to bring in. We’ve brought in items from long-standing cheap college favorites located around the Durant Food Court:
Steve’s BBQ
Thai Basil
Gypsy’s
Top Dog
King Pin Donuts
Stadium Concessions
There are a variety of food options located inside the stadium. Waiting in line can be a challenge with cranky kids, but the novelty of stadium food can sometimes be part of the fun!
On cold days I like to get the hot chocolate, even if it’s the Swiss Miss powder stuff. On hot days, there’s nothing like lemonade to quench your thirst.
New food offerings for 2022: Starbird Chicken, Blue Line Pizza, Burgess Brothers BBQ and Burgers.
If you’re investing in the top tier tickets, you may have access to the more premium food options in the various club seating areas.
Alcoholic Beverages
History Corner
The history of people of color at UC Berkeley is marked by pioneering individual achievements, decades of student-led civil rights activism, and the permanent transformation of higher education curricula.
Cal has a history of academic exploitation and scientific racism, from the case of Ishi in 1911 where they brought the last surviving member of the Yahi tribe to live in the campus anthorplogy museum as a living exhibit, to the a large collection of stolen human remains they are slow to return to tribes despite federal repatriation laws.
Kroeber Hall, named after the famous anthropologist who was the founder of the study of anthropology in the American West and lead the collection of Indigenous remains and dehumanization of Native Americans, was stripped of its name in 2021.
Many other BIPOC communities have passed through the Sather gate and led to student activism. In 1969 a historic coalition of Black, Asian American, and Chicano student groups joined together in the Third World Liberation Front Strike with demands for institutional changes and programs that reflected their histories and cultures – resulting in a groundbreaking Ethnic Studies Department (which I graduated from!)
Our Experience
Although the city of Berkeley community is known for being more white and wealthy, the university community is diverse! We noticed many families of color at the football game, and felt safe throughout our time at the stadium.
Learn More
- Learn about the history of Black Lives at Cal
- Take a tour of Black History at Cal – available virtually as well!
- Pay your Shuumi Tax: the Shuumi Land Tax is one way non-Indigenous people can contribute to Indigenous land return and sovereignty
- Watch a video about repatriation at UC Berkeley
Antiracist Travel Considerations
Final Thoughts
Game Day is a long commitment, but it’s fun for our family and something we treasure, whether our team wins or loses. Preferably winning, of course! We haven’t had to leave early, but we always try to make it a point to stay until the third so we can watch Cal Band’s halftime performance. Don’t be hard on yourself or the family if your child(ren) can’t make it through the full game. Remember, this is meant to be a fun day to cheer on the Golden Bears.
If you want a trail run, head to the Cal campus just for the pre-game activities and see the pre-game Rally and walk to the stadium with the Cal Band. Those two hours will give you a taste of game day with your kids and get everyone excited about coming back.
Hope to see you in the stands. Go Bears! Share in the comments below.
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