Bruins Kick Off Football Season Amid Triple Digit Heat Warnings, Eased Water Rules for Fans

Tens of thousands of fans will descend on the Rose Bowl as UCLA starts its football season Saturday morning, and stadium officials are making adjustments to help fans cope with the 106° heat expected to bake the Arroyo.

UCLA will kick off its season at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

“It’s going to be very hot out here. It’s an early game,” said Jens Weiden, CEO and General Manager of the Rose Bowl Operating Company. “We’re going to have cooling buses and misters. We’re allowing people to bring water into the event. We’re doing everything we can to make it as enjoyable of an experience as possible. But Pasadena’s known for its weather on January 1st, not so much for its weather on September 1st.”

The extreme heat combined with the fact that UCLA students aren’t yet on campus are set to affect the turnout for the first game of the season. 30,000 fans are expected to attend.

Fans will be permitted to bring factory-sealed water bottles up to 32 ounces into the stadium. Non-glass, empty beverage containers up to 32 ounces will also be permitted, and they can be filled at “Water Monster” stations near Tunnels 23A, 28A and 11.

Officials noted that water fountains are also located outside concourse restrooms, and misting systems will be operating at all of them. Additional tents with misters, fans and shade will be placed near Tunnels 28A and 23A, and at Gates C and D.

Fans waiting to get into the stadium before the game will be able to visit air-conditioned “cooling buses” located outside Gates B and D beginning at 10 a.m. Once fans enter the stadium, they can access one of the buses by going to the Public Safety Building near Tunnel 28.

Samples of hydrating “liquid I.V.” will be available at Gates A and N.

Stadium and UCLA officials also encouraged fans to bring sunscreen and apply it regularly.

Officials urged fans to drink plenty of water and limit consumption of alcohol, coffee and soft drinks. Fans were also advised to wear light-colored and lightweight clothing, take frequent shade breaks and notify an attendant immediately if they develop any symptoms of heat illness.

The heat and the fact that most UCLA students are still off-campus notwithstanding, Weiden said Rose Bowl officials are banking on the qualities that have made the Rose Bowl an outstanding venue for football to expect at least a third of the 91,000 capacity on Game Day. 

“Tailgating is something that UCLA Bruins fans do better than any other group that we host here from concerts to soccer, to all kinds of things that take place here,” Weiden said. “But the Bruins fans have really figured out how to utilize our space for tailgating. Our parking lot is open six hours in advance. And it’s really an event before an event. People come out and they have elaborate setups and their kids are playing catch on the beautiful golf course, and it really becomes a full day.”

That kind of relationship with UCLA further makes an impact as the Rose Bowl celebrates its centennial this year. 

When the season opens, fans will enjoy enhancements that make the stadium functional and state-of-the-art, not just historic. Among these are the new video board and new LED lighting that become more colorful as the game progresses, and the modern audio setup that’s still being fine-tuned but fans will definitely hear come Game Day. 

The stadium now also features a new Open Gate entry system that enhances security and safety inside the Rose Bowl while making it faster for fans to get in. 

“So we’re really excited about that because it’s going to enable people to spend more time at their tailgate, knowing that there’s not going to be a big backup at the gates when they show up to go through the security screening,” Weiden said. 

Over the past 10 years, the Rose Bowl has invested close to $200 million in a massive renovation program that includes those many improvements, as well as enhancing the Terry Donahue Pavilion, which offers an array of first-class event spaces: built-in bars, granite buffets, windows with views of the field and and integrated audio/visual. 

UCLA Schedule 2022

The 2022 UCLA football schedule will feature eight home games at the Rose bowl. 

For their second home game of the season, the Bruins take on Alabama State on Saturday, September 10th at 2:00 p.m.

The Bruins take on South Alabama in their third home game of the season on Saturday, September 17th at 11:00 a.m. 

The Bruins take on Washington in their 4th home game of the season on Friday, September 30th at 7:30 p.m. 

The complete schedule of the UCLA season can be found here: https://uclabruins.com/sports/football/schedule/2022