San Diego – On Thursday, March 17 from 4 p.m. to midnight the streets in the Gaslamp Quarter will be showered in shamrock spirit by rolling out 80,000 square-feet of green Astroturf for the annual shamROCK festival. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend the festivities and the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) will add late-night trains for revelers to avoid driving and parking hassles.
The shamROCK festival main entrance is at 6th Avenue and E Street. The Trolley’s Fifth Avenue Station is served by the UC San Diego Blue and Orange Lines and drops off passengers a two blocks away from the entrance.
Passengers taking the Green Line can transfer to the Orange Line at Santa Fe Depot to access the Fifth Avenue Station, or exit at the Gaslamp Quarter Station which is eight blocks away from the entrance.
After the festivities conclude, the last trains departing downtown are as follows:
- Green Line to SDSU departs Gaslamp Quarter Station at 12:20 a.m.
- UC San Diego Blue Line to San Ysidro departs Fifth Avenue Station at 12:23 a.m.
- Orange Line to El Cajon departs Fifth Avenue Station at 12:26 a.m.
Attendees also have a host of options to park free at Trolley stations and ride into downtown. Additionally, Qualcomm Stadium has 5,000 free parking spots. Here’s how partygoers can get to shamROCK on the Trolley:
From South Bay, Chula Vista or National City
- Take northbound Blue Line to Fifth Avenue Station
From El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Encanto, East San Diego
- Take westbound Orange Line to Fifth Avenue Station
From SDSU, Qualcomm Stadium, Mission Valley, Old Town
- Take westbound Green Line to Gaslamp Quarter Station or exit at Santa Fe Depot Station and transfer to Orange Line for Fifth Avenue Station
Further information on route detours and schedules is available on the MTS website.
MTS operates 95 bus routes and three Trolley lines on 53 miles of double-tracked railway. Every weekday more than 300,000 passenger trips are taken on MTS bus and Trolley services. MTS set a new record in FY 2015 with 96.7 million riders. For more information on how you can use public transportation and save money, go to www.sdmts.com.
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