Transportation & Parking Options

PARKING OPTIONS

As a result of airport construction, onsite parking options are very limited.  Fortunately, there are some good alternatives.

By far, the best and easiest option is Ride-Share, using a company like Uber, Lyft or a Taxi Cab.  There are multiple free parking options fairly close to the festival grounds from which you could take a ride-share to a convenient festival drop off point. Carpooling is certainly encouraged.

The Festival Site

Below are Parking / Transportation Suggestions by Day.

Thursday May 9.

Festival Hours 4:30 to 10:30 pm.
The festival entrance and all festival activity on Thursday takes place on the east end of the festival venue, nearest the Sheraton.

  • Best option – Ride-Share Uber, Lyft or Taxi Cab. Drop off point is at 1380 Harbor Island Drive (the Sheraton Hotel). See below for suggested free and inexpensive parking options to use in conjunction with Ride Share or Taxi.
  • Option 2 – Dirt parking lot at the corner of Harbor Drive and Harbor Island Drive. $40 per car.  This lot will fill up quickly so don’t plan to find a spot here unless you come really early.
  • Option 3 – Airport Terminal 2 Parking Plaza. From $35 per car, depending on when you book it. A short walk across No. Harbor Drive to the festival. Advance Reservations Are Required and are available through this link.

Friday May 10.

Festival Hours 3:30 to 10:30 pm
The festival entrance and all festival activity on Friday takes place on the east end of the festival venue, nearest the Sheraton.

  • Best option – Ride-Share Uber, Lyft or Taxi Cab. Drop off point is at 1380 Harbor Island Drive (the Sheraton Hotel). See below for suggested free and inexpensive parking options to use in conjunction with Ride Share or Taxi.
  • Option 2 – Dirt parking lot at the corner of Harbor Drive and Harbor Island Drive. $40 per car.  This lot will fill up quickly so don’t plan to find a spot here unless you come really early.
  • Option 3 – Parking Lot at North Harbor Drive at Lee Court (near Hampton Inn & Suites).  It is .4 miles from festival site, a fairly short walk. $25 per car. Frequent shuttles to and from the festival.
  • Option 4 – Airport Terminal 2 Parking Plaza. From $35 per car, depending on when you book it. A short walk across No. Harbor Drive to the festival. Advance Reservations Are Required and are available through this link.

Saturday May 11.

Festival Hours 10:30 am to 8:30 pm.
Saturday Night Dance at the Sheraton 9 pm – midnight.
Festival entrances at both west and east ends of the festival venue are open.

  • Best option – Ride-Share Uber, Lyft or Taxi Cab. Drop off points are 3900 North Harbor Drive (Spanish Landing Park) or 1380 Harbor Island Drive (the Sheraton Hotel).
  • Option 2 – Dirt parking lot at the corner of North Harbor Drive and Harbor Island Drive. $40 per car.  This lot will fill up quickly so don’t plan to find a spot here unless you come really early.
  • Option 3 – Parking Lot at North Harbor Drive at Lee Court (near Hampton Inn & Suites).  $25 per car.   It is .4 miles from festival site, a fairly short walk. Frequent shuttles to and from the festival.
  • Option 4 – Airport Terminal 2 Parking Plaza. From $35 per car, depending on when you book it. A short walk across No. Harbor Drive to the festival. Advance Reservations Are Required and are available through this link.

Sunday May 12.

Festival Hours 10:30 am to 7:30 pm
Festival entrances at both west and east ends of the festival venue are open.

  • Best option – Ride-Share Uber, Lyft or Taxi Cab. Drop off points are 3900 North Harbor Drive (Spanish Landing Park) or 1380 Harbor Island Drive (the Sheraton Hotel). See below for suggested free and inexpensive parking options to use in conjunction with Ride Share or Taxi.
  • Option 2 – Dirt parking lot at the corner of North Harbor Drive and Harbor Island Drive. $40 per car.  This lot will fill up quickly so don’t plan to find a spot here unless you come really early.
  • Option 3 – Parking Lot at North Harbor Drive at Lee Court (near Hampton Inn & Suites).  $25 per car.   It is .4 miles from festival site, a fairly short walk. Frequent shuttles to and from the festival.
  • Option 4 – Airport Terminal 2 Parking Plaza. From $35 per car, depending on when you book it. A short walk across No. Harbor Drive to the festival. Advance Reservations Are Required and are available through this link.

Convenient and Creative Ways to Get to Gator by the Bay

RIDE-SHARING

We encourage you to use one of the Ride-Share apps to get to and from the festival, hassle-free! Consider carpooling to a nearby lot and take a ride-share to Gator By The Bay. There are many area parking lots to use in conjunction with Ride-Share. They include:

  • FREE PARKING:
  • Old Town Transit Center
  • Liberty Station
  • Shelter Island
  • Harbor Island
  • PAID PARKING:
  • $12/Day Ace Parking lot at 4980 N Harbor Drive
  • $25/ Day No Harbor Drive at Lee Court
  • $35/Day San Diego International Airport Terminal Two Parking Structure (Advance Reservations Required.)
  • $40/Day Dirt Lot at No. Harbor Drive and Harbor Island Drive
  • FESTIVAL DROP OFF AND PICK UP LOCATIONS
  • On Thursday and Friday the best Pick and Drop off location is the Sheraton Hotel address: 1380 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego 92101
  • On Saturday & Sunday there are two ideal Pick & Drop off locations: the west end at 3900 North Harbor Drive (Spanish Landing Park)
    or the east end at 1380 Harbor Island Drive (the Sheraton Hotel).

FREE BICYCLE CORRAL

Ride your bike to the festival and take advantage of our  Bike Corral, available at the West End of the festival. Available for the first 120 bikes both Saturday and Sunday. Please bring your own bike lock.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

MTS offers transportation service from the entire region. Plan your trip from your door to the festival site. Plan your Trip through MTS! San Diego MTS is very affordable. Check out their fare schedule here.

Parking is free at MTS Park & Ride lots throughout the system. Download the PRONTO App to your phone or pick-up and add money to a PRONTO card (one-time $2 fee) at any Trolley ticket machine or at any participating retail network location.

Route 992 goes from downtown San Diego to the San Diego Airport Terminal 2, right across from the festival grounds.  Catch the 992 Bus from downtown San Diego, across the street from the AMTRAK station or the San Diego Trolley stop and go to Terminal 2 at the airport.  The 992 Bus runs frequently between 5 AM and Midnight each day.

And, it is less than a 15 minute ride! Then a short walk across North Harbor Drive to the festival.

Access the schedule and route map for Route 992 through this link.

Bus Route 992 goes from Downtown San Diego to the Airport’s Terminal 2
from 5 AM – Midnight – 7 Days a week.

ACCESSIBLE PARKING & DROP OFF

There are several options for Accessible Parking and Drop-Off at the festival site.

There are Accessible Parking spaces in the dirt parking lot at the corner of N Harbor Drive and Harbor Island Drive, although the number of spaces is limited, and the terrain is uneven. There is Accessible Parking at the Sheraton Hotel, adjacent to the festival site. There is Accessible Parking at the Spanish Landing West parking lot; to enter the parking lot turn into the park from the stop light at the intersection of N Harbor Drive and Lee Ct. It is metered paid parking lot with a 4 Hour limit.

A paved walkway is available from both the Sheraton Hotel and Spanish Landing West to the festival venue.

Please note that the festival entrance on Thursday and Friday and festival activity are on the east end of the festival grounds. On those days, the best option for Accessible Parking is the Sheraton Hotel. On Saturday and Sunday both east and west entrances are open. On those festival days, an easy Accessible Drop-Off point is on the festivals’ west end entrance, accessible at the N. Harbor Drive and Terminal 2 stoplight.

FESTIVAL SITE MAP

Gator By The Bay Festival Site Map