Updated 2 p.m. Tuesday
Beyoncé is bringing her Renaissance World Tour — her first solo tour in over six years, dedicated to her album of the same name — to the Bay Area, with a one-night stop at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Wednesday, August 30. (The city has named the singer honorary mayor for the day to celebrate the concert. Beyoncé is even getting the key to the city.)
And if you’re attending Beyoncé’s Renaissance show, you almost certainly spent a good amount of money on tickets.
Perhaps you’ll be spending even more simply getting to the Renaissance show, if you’re traveling to the South Bay from out of town — and you may be looking for a game plan for parking and getting in and out of the crowded, hectic stadium as painlessly as possible.
KQED’s got you. Including the specific wisdom of folks on Reddit about this topic, our guide is divided into sections for logistics, alternative events and the vast history behind this album. Keep checking this guide for updates — and stay tuned to the Levi’s Stadium Twitter account for any last-minute alerts.
Jump straight to:
But first, let’s get the most important thing out of the way:
At every concert, Beyoncé sings the track “Energy” from her latest album Renaissance. About a minute into the song, she sings: “Big wave in the room, the crowd gon’ move / Look around, everybody on mute.”
She and her dancers then pause and put their fingers over their lips. The audience then is supposed to be statue-still and quiet with her.
Atlanta and DC have been noted winners of the challenge. Let’s get the Bay Area up there too — practice at home, if you need to.
There is no opener — it is all Beyoncé for around two-and-a-half hours. (Although you may get a cameo at some point during the show from 11-year-old Blue Ivy Carter.)
The show itself starts at 8 p.m. Pacific Time, but it varies when Beyoncé actually shows up on stage. However KQED staffers who have attended previous shows at the stadium advise that fans get to the venue early.
According to Levi’s Stadium, the parking lot opens at 3 p.m. The gate opens at 6 p.m.
There will be a merch outside in Red Lot 1, opening at 1 p.m. Wednesday until the end of the concert.
City officials have extended its curfew for the show, allowing it to go on until 11 p.m.
If you don’t mind spoilers, you can view a playlist of the songs Beyoncé is expected to sing at the concert ahead of time. But you may get some surprises — the artist pulled out “Thique,” “All Up In Your Mind,” and “Drunk in Love” for her Atlanta show (the first time since her first show in Europe.) However, she hasn’t played the songs since (prompting some fans to bring “Justice 4 for Thique” signs to the concert.)
Be sure to check the weather forecast before heading to Santa Clara and dress for a hot, dry day. Wear sunscreen and drink lots of water. You can bring sealed plastic water bottles and reusable transparent water bottles into the stadium. Levi’s is an open stadium, meaning it will likely cool down at night.
KQED has a thorough guide on how to stay safe during a heat wave, if there is one that week.
Go all-out for your outfit on this night — and if you are particularly stylish, you might be featured in the photos on Beyoncé’s official tour website. (Although KQED staff members emphasize wearing comfortable footwear. You’ll likely be waiting in long lines to get in, for concessions, merchandise, and then on your feet throughout the entire performance.)
Beyoncé is asking fans to wear silver and chrome for this show as a birthday wish.
Beyoncé requests silver and chrome fashions to celebrate Virgo season and “the last month” of The #RENAISSANCEWorldTour. 🪩 pic.twitter.com/sBKOqOWhte
— BEYONCÉ LEGION (@BeyLegion) August 23, 2023
Common accessories include a disco cowboy hat, like Beyoncé dons on the Renaissance cover. You can find versions of this hat online — after all, Beyoncé’s stylist found the original hat on Etsy.)
And you might want to bring a portable paper cooling fan for the Beyoncé concert, especially for her song Heated.
@trinityestelle3 She was a fast learner! Counting down the minutes 🫡 #heatedfanclicks #fyp #beyonce #renaissanceworldtour ♬ original sound – trin w
There are fan-made fans on TikTok, and some fans have been decorating their own — just make sure your fan can open and close easily.
@ajadang Replying to @Violet Banks he needs to stick to the small fan… @Brian Puspos #renaissancetour #renaissance #beyoncechallenge #beyoncerenaissance #screammovie ♬ HEATED – Beyoncé
Levi’s Stadium does not allow non-transparent bags — meaning any bag you bring must be:
The only exception to that “clear bag” rule is for clutches — meaning you can bring a clutch with a shoulder or a wrist strap that’s not transparent, but has to be smaller than 4.5 x 6.5 inches. There is no bag check service.
Here are some more things you cannot bring to Levi’s stadium:
What else can you bring to Levi’s Stadium? These items include:
As for phone chargers, if you remember Levi’s Stadium initially stating that battery packs with portable external phone chargers would not be permitted at the Taylor Swift Eras show, that decision was reversed the day of the first show. “We are allowing portable phone chargers as long as they are about the same size as a phone,” a spokesperson told KQED by email. “In other words, as long as it isn’t a massive battery pack for a computer or professional camera. Portable phone chargers with USB cables ARE allowed.” We’ll watch for confirmation that this indeed holds true for Beyoncé’s show.
Levi’s Stadium says that phone charging stations are also available at all Guest Service Stations.
If you are anxious about anything obscuring your sight of the stage or how you want to get to your seat fast, you can check out the view from your seat using Levi’s Stadium’s Virtual Venue map. Seatgeek and A View From My Seat also are good resources for this.
Levi’s Stadium has an online guide to their accessible services, which includes information about accessible seating and companion seats, bathroom services, elevator facilities and how to request access to closed captioning.
Levi’s says that any wheelchair services should be requested in advance when applicable by emailing mobilityservices@levisstadium.com or calling (408) 579-4610 with your requests.
Keep reading for information about accessible parking and drop-off at Levi’s Stadium. The headline: Red Lot 1 is the place to park but is on a first-come first-serve basis.
At the time of publication, you can still buy parking tickets at Levi’s Stadium officially, for around $50. (At this stage pre-show, all official parking for Levi’s Stadium’s last huge show — Taylor Swift’s two-night Eras tour — was already sold out, so you may consider acting fast.)
Accessible parking information can be found on the Levi’s Stadium site.
You can check independent services like ParkWhiz or SpotHero for non-stadium parking spots nearby, although these will likely still be a long walk — almost a mile — to the stadium. If you’re doing this, be sure to map the route using a tool like Google Maps, to make sure you know how long you have to walk and the shortest route to do so. Some of your walk will be on a gravel path, which can be hard on the feet. Reddit users advised that there may be pedicabs around to take you to the stadium.
We should note that Reddit users actually recommended against using rideshares, saying that the wait time for one is long and expensive. However, if you are planning on getting an Uber or Lyft, you should be dropped off for the show “curbside on Great America Parkway, between Tasman Drive and Old Glory Lane,” according to the Levi’s Stadium website.
And if you are taking a rideshare out of the stadium after the show ends, exit Gates A, B or F to get picked up at Red Lot 7. (Due to surge pricing, it will likely be expensive to get an Uber out the stadium.)
Levi’s Stadium has pickup and drop-off locations on their site for different types of vehicles. For Taylor Swift’s recent Eras Tour at the same venue, officials at Levi’s Stadium provided a Special Parent Pick-Up zone, located on Great America Parkway by Tasman Drive and Old Glory Lane for drop-off and then on Patrick Henry Drive for pickup. We’ll update this guide when more details are released for the Renaissance Tour.
Accessible drop-off, with wheelchair assistance available, is at Patrick Henry Drive and Great America Parkway. Accessible pick-up is at Red Lot 7. Guests can head to Gate C’s mobility services to get transportation to Red Lot 7
Public transit schedules can always be subject to change. Check the timings for your route on the day of the show itself, and be sure of your very last service home.
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail and bus
KQED staffers highly recommend taking the VTA light rail to the venue itself. And if you’re taking a connecting transit service to VTA, keep reading for details of timings and additional services.
There is a VTA stop on the North side of the stadium, called the Great America Station. Routers are “scheduled daily to and from Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, San José, Santa Clara, and Campbell.” See the VTA schedule.
You can schedule this journey out on the VTA’s site by toggling to the “Trip Planner” tab.
According to the VTA, there will be 30% more passenger capacity for the night. The release said that the VTA, BART and Caltrain will be in communication to prevent fans from being stranded.
“Extra service to the stadium will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, throughout the light rail system. Extra bus service will be on standby to supplement light rail if needed. After the concert, VTA will run light rail trains continuously until all passengers are cleared from the Great America light rail station,” the release reads.
“Passengers connecting to BART should take the VTA Orange Line to the Milpitas Transit Center no later than 11:15 p.m. to make their connection to BART’s last regular service leaving at 11:51 p.m. In addition, BART will run two limited stop trains from Milpitas at 12:30 a.m. and will serve only the following East Bay stations: Bay Fair, MacArthur, Pleasant Hill, and El Cerrito del Norte.”
For the Taylor Swift Eras tour last month, VTA’s spokesperson recommended people driving to the Milpitas Transit Center to pay for parking permits online or by using the app. Get more information on parking at Silicon Valley BART stations. The Clipper mobile app is also useful for easier VTA light rail payment.
The VTA offers accessible cart or wheelchair services from the Great America station to the Stadium’s west gate. To book these services ahead of time, call (408) 579-4610.
The VTA bus reaches the greater San José area, Mountain View, Cupertino and Sunnyvale (see the VTA bus schedule). The buses will drop you off at either the intersection of Tasman Drive and Great America Parkway or the intersection of Tasman Drive and Calle Del Sol. Please note that accessible cart services are not available for the latter.
BART
For the Taylor Swift Eras Tour, BART’s website advised fans to transfer from BART at Milpitas Station to VTA’s Orange Line and ride to VTA’s Great America Station, located on the north side of Levi’s Stadium.
There will be special services after midnight for the concert, according to BART’s spokesperson. You can view BART’s guide to transportation for the Renaissance concert on its website. Be sure to view what times the trains leave Levi’s Stadium the day of the concert.
Caltrain
You can also take Caltrain to the show, but will need to connect with the VTA light rail. You can get a double Caltrain pass here.
According to the VTA’s email, “Caltrain connections in Mountain View will run up to 75 minutes after the concert ends.”
Capitol Corridor train
Capitol Corridor is offering special hours for the Beyoncé show. The Westbound Train 543 will arrive at Levi’s Stadium at 5:05 p.m. Eastbound Train 550 will depart the station at 11:59 p.m.
“Ticketed passengers should give themselves at least 15 minutes to get to the station after the concert,” the release reads. “For the return trip, please make your way close to the exit doors prior to the arrival at the next station. Trains do not remain in the station for long, so you will need to be ready to offboard upon arrival at your destination.”
If you are a regular user of the train, Capitol Corridor’s news release advises people to take an early train to avoid crowds on Trains 541 and 543.
“Train 548 is CANCELLED. Passengers are advised to take Train 546 or earlier trains if you have flexibility in your schedule,” the release reads.
ACE train
You can use the ACE train to travel to Santa Clara from Stockton, Lathrop/Manteca, Tracy, Vasco, Livermore, Pleasanton and Fremont.
Biking
Not quite public transportation, but there are also bike valets from the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (who are looking for volunteers). However, as one Reddit user informed us, the bike trail is often closed during busy events like game days so don’t assume you’ll be able to use this trail to reach Levi’s Stadium on the nights of the shows.
Bike parking opens at 3 p.m. and is located at Dignity Health Gate.
Private shuttle
You could consider looking into a private ride or shuttle to and from Levi’s Stadium, especially if there’s a large group of you going.
Private M Ride round-trip shuttles are offered to Levi’s Stadium from Westwood, a venue in San Francisco.
Beyoncé’s Renaissance show at FedEx Field in Maryland saw large crowds pushed together when fans were asked to shelter in place after lightning was reported in the area, with ABC7 News reporting that some fans had to be treated for heat exhaustion.
There’s no shame in getting a little antsy in big crowds like this — in a packed stadium, it’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed. Read NPR’s full guide on what to do if you find yourself caught in a crowd crush.
According to Mehdi Moussaïd, a research scientist in Berlin who studies crowd behavior, rely on your instincts and senses if you feel like the crowd is getting too dense. If you get stuck in a crush, move with the crowd and put your arms out in front of your chest and hold them there.
“In this position, you would have some space, just a little bit, to push for half a centimeter or just 1 centimeter — enough for you to keep breathing,” Moussaïd told NPR in 2022. “It’s not going to be comfortable. You’re going to be feeling really bad, but at least you’ll survive.”
You can find all of the bathroom locations at Levi’s Stadium here.
Try to head to the bathroom before the show, but one KQED staffer recommended that you also sift through the playlist and see if there is a song you may be comfortable ducking out of to run to the restroom.
Tickets for Beyoncé’s Santa Clara Renaissance show are still being offered on Ticketmaster, which is the most official way to secure your seat at the Beyoncé show. You can also find Renaissance resales on sites like StubHub. You can also look for better deals and seats on Facebook marketplace resales and Eventbrite.
Walk-up tickets may also be available at the Visa Box Office.
The Better Businesses Bureau (BBB) issued a warning about resale scams during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, with many people discovering after sending the money through apps like Venmo or Zelle that these “tickets” never existed. Check out the person’s profile and their past posting history to see if it seems real. And if you do choose to buy a resale, use your credit card, says the BBB. This at least provides some protection for you if the deal was fake.
If you are getting a resale from a friend, make sure you call your friend directly — to make sure someone isn’t impersonating them online.
Levi’s is an open stadium, and many on social media report that the noise leaks out if you’re nearby. But a Levi’s Stadium spokesperson wrote to KQED in an email that tailgating is not permitted (as per its policy on all concerts.)
Tasman Drive “will be closed starting at 9:30am on 8/30. This is the same policy we use for any weekday event at the stadium,” the spokesperson wrote.
The question of tailgating caused some back-and-forth during the Taylor Swift concert last month. Levi’s Stadium usually allows tailgating for football games for ticketed fans, as long as the party is wrapped up by kick-off. But Levi’s — in an email to KQED as well as a notice addressing tailgating on its website on July 26 — heavily discouraged fans without tickets from showing up during the Eras tour.
A spokesperson told KQED in an email, “Tailgating is prohibited for the Taylor Swift concerts and there will be no designated viewing areas outside of Levi’s Stadium. Fans without event tickets will not be allowed to enter stadium parking lots, and should not plan to gather outside the stadium.” Levi’s Stadium’s security information confirmed this seeming ban on tailgating on its website.
Santa Clara Councilmember Kathy Watanabe criticized the stadium for the move. However, Levi’s Stadium then removed its strict notice on tailgating from its Eras Tour release, and issued a more subdued tweet asking fans to just avoid overcrowding the surrounding areas of the stadium. (Fans did end up showing up.)
Parking lot parties aren’t a new phenomenon — especially at Levi’s Stadium. In 2015, Grateful Dead fans gathered in the shared lot with the Great America amusement park (and even caught a few rides.)
So whatever you do — just make sure to stay quiet during the mute challenge.
(Yes, we know “Bey” doesn’t rhyme with Bay.)
Beyoncé’s Renaissance is, above all else, a tribute to Black queer and trans music history and the ballroom scene. The record is dedicated to her Uncle Johnny, who Beyoncé said introduced her to the music that inspired the album.
Vulture podcaster — and former host of NPR’s podcast It’s Been a Minute — Sam Sanders breaks down the references and musicology behind Beyoncé’s album with Charlie Harding in this episode of Switched On Pop.
Sanders said Beyoncé and her team “have done a lot of research or done a lot of reading and have found these pockets of culture that are very niche. And then found a way to put them into songs that still feel effortlessly Beyoncé. It doesn’t sound like she is trying these skins on and not getting it right. It sounds good.”
The Bay Area has a part in this dazzling history, which KQED’s Nastia Voynovskaya featured in a panel called “Mighty Real” with local figureheads Tita Aida, Steve Fabus, DJ Black and David Harness.
You can also check out San Francisco’s all-Black drag show Reparations, which has a monthly showing at Oasis. Formed in response to the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police, Reparations’ host Nicki Jizz told KQED that the show “is not just a fad. This is not just a summer thing. This is a forever thing. We need to support Black arts every day.”
The next shows are on September 8, featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 contestant Kornbread Jeté and October 13, with Lala Ri of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
The White Horse in Oakland, “the oldest operating gay bar in the nation” according to its Instagram, is Black-owned and hosts DJs, drag shows, and karaoke nights.
There is also Soulovely every second Sunday in Oakland — a queer, trans BIPOC day party. (They are also looking for volunteers (DOC).)
Oakland Pride is also coming up on September 9 and 10.
San Francisco’s first Black-owned gay bar — New Eagle Creek Saloon — closed in the early ’90s. The bar was opened by Rodney Barnette, and was meant to be an affirming space for the Black queer community due to the racism he experienced when first moving to the city in 1969.
“We had women DJs, which they didn’t have at that time in any of these gay bars,” Barnette told KQED’s Rightnowish podcast. “They didn’t have any Black DJs. So we were able to provide the entertainment that people wanted and provide employment for talented Black people that weren’t able to express themselves in other establishments in San Francisco.”
His daughter Sadie Barnette, a local artist from Oakland, created an exhibition dedicated to a recreation of the New Eagle Creek Saloon.
“I built the glittering bar structure — glowing somewhere between a monument and an altar — as an invitation, a place to be, and an invocation,” she wrote on her website. “I did not want to make a project about the bar; I needed to make a project that was the bar, that bent space and time and reanimated the bones of the Eagle Creek in an intergenerational revival.
“So, my bar is not quiet as it honors; it is a party. It is all my friends and my dad’s people. It is permission to dance and dream, to call the names of those lost, and to see one another as we are in the glow of our own small moments of freedom.”
You can view Sadie Barnett’s zine, dedicated to her father’s bar, online — paired with pictures and newspaper clippings.
“Why Black-owned made a difference … to practice our culture,” reads one note in the zine, scribbled next to old photos of the bar’s patrons. “Sharing our experiences, contributions, and talent … reflect our own life experience.”
KQED’s Gabe Meline and Lilly Payne contributed to this story. An earlier version of the story was published on August 23.
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