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San Jose readies dozens of public activations for 2026 national and international sports events; council asks staff to widen neighborhood reach
Summary
City staff presented a status report on preparations for 2026 major sporting events — Super Bowl, NCAA regionals and World Cup — highlighting downtown spectacles, neighborhood activations, school outreach and a 'fly, stay and play' visitor campaign.
City staff updated the San Jose City Council Aug. 26 on preparations and programming for 2026 sports and entertainment events, including the Super Bowl, NCAA regional games and the FIFA World Cup matches at Levi’s Stadium. The report emphasized downtown block‑party activations, neighborhood watch parties, a tourism 'fly, stay and play' campaign, and cultural and arts activations.
Deputy City Manager Rosalind Hughey and Sports & Events Director Tommy O’Hare described a multi‑pronged approach: large evening spectacles (concerts, drone and light shows), more than 100 free watch‑party events coordinated with professional teams and cultural partners, neighborhood block parties in 12 commercial districts, school outreach (“SJ 26 Game Changers”) and a downtown visitor/sports merchandise center planned near San Carlos/3rd street. Team San Jose and the airport are coordinating a paid media push to attract visitors to fly into San Jose and stay in-city.
The council and public raised several operational priorities: (1) transportation and transit capacity for tens of thousands of visitors, (2) equitable…
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