San Diego – San Diego’s signature Fourth of July celebration, the Big Bay Boom, is back this week and it will feature fireworks, large crowds and traffic. To accommodate the large crowds and diminish the challenges of getting to downtown, MTS is encouraging people to take transit to the city’s largest fireworks show of the year.
MTS services will accommodate thousands of locals and tourists by running extra services on all three Trolley lines, dropping spectators off at the heart of the annual Fourth of July Big Bay Boom fireworks show.
San Diego's highly anticipated patriotic celebration, scheduled for July 4 at 9 p.m., lights up the San Diego Bay with four displays at different locations on the bay. Prime viewing locations for the fireworks display are available near the following Trolley stations:
- County Center / Little Italy (UC San Diego Blue Line and Green Line)
- Santa Fe Depot (UC San Diego Blue Line and Green Line)
- America Plaza (UC San Diego Blue Line)
- Seaport Village (Green Line)
- Convention Center (Green Line)
- Gaslamp Quarter (Green Line)
Big Bay Boom Trolley Service Information:
Pre-Event:
- Green Line: In addition to regular service, additional trips will operate to provide 15-minute service throughout the event start time.
- UC San Diego Blue Line: MTS will run regular 15-minute service.
- Orange Line: MTS will run regular Sunday service. Take the Orange Line to the 12th & Imperial Transit Center and transfer to the Green Line Trolley.
Post-Event:
- UC San Diego Blue Line and Green Line Tip: For those traveling north on the UC San Diego Blue Line or east on the Green Line from Santa Fe Depot or County Center/Little Italy, MTS recommends that passengers board the first train available and then transfer at Old Town, if needed, where plenty of space will be available on trains heading towards UTC or Santee.
- Green Line: Trolley will run 15-minute or better service from downtown San Diego to East County until approximately 10:30 p.m. The last trip to Santee departs downtown at 10:36 p.m., and the last train to SDSU departs at 11:36 p.m.
- UC San Diego Blue Line: Extra northbound service from Santa Fe Depot to UTC will run every 15 minutes or better, from approximately 9:15 to 11 p.m. The last northbound trip of the evening departs 12th & Imperial at 11:08 p.m. (and Sante Fe Depot at 11:22 p.m.). Southbound service to San Ysidro will run every 15 minutes until approximately 11:30 p.m., with the final trip departing downtown around midnight.
- Orange Line: The Orange Line will operate regular Sunday service, with an extra trip added in immediately after the event. One additional late-night trip is scheduled for 10:56 p.m. from 12th & Imperial.
For a full Trolley schedule for the event, visit the MTS Big Bay Boom page.
Important Transit Tips:
Friends Ride Free Promotion: Invite a friend to ride with you! All fare paying transit riders will be able to have a transit partner ride with them free of charge during Fourth of July on all MTS bus routes and Trolley lines. Limited to one guest per fare-paying customer.
Park & Ride: Riders are encouraged to use MTS’ free transit station parking to park their cars and hop on the Trolley. Parking is free at park-and-ride lots along all three Trolley lines.
Get Your Fare Early: To avoid long ticket lines pre- and post-event, riders should download the PRONTO app or use a PRONTO card and load $5 in advance to cover a round-trip adult fare ($3 for seniors with Senior PRONTO card). Riders must tap or scan their PRONTO card or app at a station validator before boarding.
Youth Ride Free: All youth 5 years old and under ride free all day any day. No pass required. Kids ages 6 to 18 can ride MTS free with the Youth Opportunity Pass program (must have a valid Youth PRONTO card).
Free Coronado Shuttle: The City of Coronado will also have its free summer shuttle available for those that wish to enjoy the holiday on the island.
In observance of Fourth of July, MTS will be running Sunday service on most bus routes. For complete service details, please visit our service changes page. The MTS Information and Trip Planning Office will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MTS Administrative Offices, the MTS Transit Store, Customer Service, and PRONTO Support will be closed in observance of the holiday and will reopen for regular hours Friday, July 5.
About MTS
The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) operates 97 bus routes and three Trolley lines in 10 cities and unincorporated areas of San Diego. MTS is a leader in advancing initiatives to create a greener, cleaner and better-connected transit system in San Diego. Each weekday more than 250,000 passenger trips are taken throughout the MTS system taking people to work, school, health appointments and other essential trips. In FY 2023, MTS served more than 68 million riders. For service schedule updates, news, alerts and more information on how you can use public transportation, go to www.sdmts.com.
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