The Holiday Bowl is staying in San Diego, after an agreement was reached with Petco Park to host the game for the next five years. The news came Thursday, June 24, as San Diego Padres officials, leaders from the City of San Diego, and Holiday Bowl representatives gathered at the ballpark to announce the new location of college football’s most popular bowl game.
The 2021 game will be especially special for viewers. Not only is this the first time a kickoff will take place at Petco Park, this will be the first time in 42 years that the game will not be hosted at Mission Valley. This will also be the first time that an ACC team goes head on with a Pac-12 team.
The news comes as downtown San Diego positions itself for future economic growth. Investors continue purchasing office buildings and other properties with the expectation that the downtown population will nearly double over the next two decades. Housing costs, including condos in downtown San Diego, are increasing at the fastest pace in nearly eight years.
Over the past four decades of being played in San Diego, the Holiday Bowl has contributed over $977 million to the local economy. The game is expected to bring an additional $31 million. In fact, one of the reasons the game will not resume at the Aztec Stadium in Mission Valley after the stadium is completed is because the venue will be “too small,” according to Holiday Bowl CEO Mark Neville.
The 2021 Holiday Bowl will be held on December 28, 2021. Ticket sales for the public will begin in September. Securing the Holiday Bowl at another downtown San Diego location was a major success as they continue to push for new ways to generate revenue for economic development. The Holiday Bowl was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, delivering a major blow to the local economy. This year, those involved expect the event to be bigger than ever.