Jack HaslettSun, November 23, 2025 at 8:45 AM UTC·6 min readPASADENA, Calif. - Rows of tents filled the sprawling parking lots of the Rose Bowl, covering a combination of terrains from aging asphalt to dirt lots and a golf course repurposed every other Saturday night during the season. Each tent held a story and a group of raucous tailgaters eagerly awaiting their beloved Bruins.
The Rose Bowl has been the home of UCLA football since 1982, but that four-plus decades long residence is in jeopardy, as the university is undergoing talks to move UCLA football to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, instead. For so many of those dedicated Bruin faithful drinking and laughing under their easy-ups, a stadium move wouldn't just be the end of an era, it would be the death of a tradition.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPapo Fernandez has been coming to UCLA games since he was a kid, when his godfather would bring him. Now, 20 years later, his friends and family still show up in droves to the Rose Bowl to tailgate and cheer on their team. Hours before the game, Fernandez and his group posed for a video in front of the stadium and he led a chant of "Hell no, don't go," a popular rallying cry for fans opposed to the potential move.
"Don't get me wrong, SoFi is a nice stadium, but it's more for an NFL stadium. I don't know. I don't see how they're doing a college atmosphere there, because this is kind of taking the tradition away from us," Fernandez said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTailgating has been among the most cherished traditions that the Rose Bowl has to offer. Fans that have been attending the games for decades, like Fernandez, have built a community within their by-weekly meet-ups, and the surrounding land becomes a carnival of barbecue and music, card games and corn hole, blue and gold. The fear for many of these fans is that a transplant from the sprawling open space surrounding the stadium, flanked by the San Gabriel Mountains and bathed in Autumn sun, to the concrete and steel engineering of SoFi Stadium and the bustling spaces of Inglewood, will rob them of their community.
"It's become a family tradition for us, and so moving to the SoFi, there's just no comparison to what the tailgate is. It's almost like a family reunion when we get out here," Erika Zarate said. "And I don't think it'll be the same if we move to so far.
UCLA Bruins quarterback Luke Duncan (12) runs out of the smoke before the game against Washington Huskies at Rose Bowl Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California.UCLA Bruins quarterback Luke Duncan (12) runs out of the smoke before the game against Washington Huskies at Rose Bowl Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementZarate and Robert Carillo, from Whittier, have been season ticket holders for 20 years. Their tent, decked out with lights and a television with meat frying on a flat-top, is one of many homey islands pitched outside the stadium. Each tent may belong to strangers, but Bruins fans become fast friends. Carillo and Zareta quickly acquainted themselves with their tailgate neighbors, Trisha, Jim and Josh Krug, and soon the whole group was sitting around the table playing cards.
"We may not know each other, but when we come here, we feel like a family. We feel that once we leave the Rose Bowl to SoFi, it's not going to be the same. It's very commercialized," Carillo said.
The Krugs have been season ticket holders since 1988, and their son Josh practically grew up at the Rose Bowl. Now, they don't know if they'll renew those tickets should the team move to SoFi.
UCLA Bruins running back Jalen Berger (0) dives while getting tackled during the game against Washington Huskies at Rose Bowl Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California.Jordan Carroll - The Sporting Tribune
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementUCLA Bruins running back Jalen Berger (0) dives while getting tackled during the game against Washington Huskies at Rose Bowl Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California.
"Our first Christmas card was him being held by eight cheerleaders and pom-poms all around when he was first born," Trisha Krug said.
Shawn Tippets, from Long Beach, has his own family history at at the Rose Bowl.
He starting going to games with his father-in law-and his friends, who were all from the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles. Tippets even had a UCLA Wilmington banner hanging from his easy-up as an homage to those origins. The move to Inglewood has him worried about the state of UCLA tailgating, with the possibility of stricter time constraints and limited space. The Rose Bowl allows people to file in six hours before the game, but SoFi may only allow four hours of pregame festivities.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"The tailgate is definitely going to be different, and that's one of the things we look forward to... That's why we're celebrating tonight, because it might be the last one," Tippets said.
One Freeway or Another
There a myriad of factors going into UCLA's decision to pursue a move to SoFi Stadium, but the one that's been the most discussed has been travel. The Bruins have long been criticized for having a football stadium over an hour's drive away from campus.
UCLA Bruins defensive back Kanye Clark (1) celebrates during the game against Washington Huskies at Rose Bowl Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California.Jordan Carroll - The Sporting Tribune
UCLA Bruins defensive back Kanye Clark (1) celebrates during the game against Washington Huskies at Rose Bowl Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStill, SoFi Stadium itself is a trip down a freeway or two from Westwood, and some aren't convinced the meager travel benefits are worth the sacrifice of tradition.
"It is, you know, 10 miles closer, but in terms of actual driving in LA, it's a shuttle. Either way, it's not going to be on campus," Josh Krug said. "College kids are not going to care... it's the same experience for them," Josh Krug said.
The game inside the Rose Bowl may not have lived up to the anticipation of the fans outside, as UCLA dropped it 48-14 against Washington, but no matter the outcome, the Bruins fans living it up in the parking lot will treasure their time at the Rose Bowl forever, even if this is the end.
"Either way, we're going to follow the Bruins and keep supporting them, but it's definitely going to be the end of an era," Tippet said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I'm trying to kind of box it in right now, but, there's gonna be times I'm gonna be kind of emotional if the move happens," Fernandez said.
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