The celebration of world champion eater Joey Chestnut as the honorary chairman and parade grand marshal is just one of the many spectacles to expect among this year’s Holiday Bowl festivities.

This guide spotlights events occurring in and around the big game and provides information about the competing teams, buying tickets, team outings, transportation options and some Holiday Bowl history.

The teams

The 45th Holiday Bowl pits No. 21 Syracuse against Washington State. Syracuse will make its Holiday Bowl debut, and Washington State will make its fifth visit. The Holiday Bowl payout is $5.87 million.

No. 21 ranked Syracuse finished the 2024 regular season with a 9-3 record. The Orange have the nation’s passing yardage leader in quarterback Kyle McCord, who has thrown for 4,326 yards to go along with his 29 touchdowns. Plus, Syracuse’s offense averages 32.6 points per game this season.

The Cougars had an 8-4 regular season record this year. This is Washington State’s second trip to Snapdragon this season. The first was a 29-26 win over San Diego State on Oct. 26. The Cougars are scheduled to start a backup quarterback. Regular season starting quarterback John Mateer, entered the transfer portal, along with two dozen Cougars football players. Mateer led the country with 44 combined touchdowns during the 2024 regular season.

Syracuse and Washington State have faced one another only once in football in 1979, when the Orange defeated the Cougars 52-25.

Washington State will be headquartered at the Manchester Grand Hyatt and Syracuse will be staying at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, according to Holiday Bowl officials.

At the game

Snapdragon Stadium will host the Holiday Bowl for the first time. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday . Washington State will be the home team and will be on the west sideline. Syracuse will occupy the east sideline.

The first 10,000 fans through the stadium gates will get a free ticket to SeaWorld. Attendees are asked to be in their seats at 4:30 p.m. for the start of pregame festivities, which include team marching bands performances and parachute jumpers. At halftime, there will be crowd sing-along and another presentation by both university marching bands.

Between the third and fourth quarter, three fans will take part in a football throwing contest for a chance to win $100,000 in tuition.

The Holiday Bowl festivities conclude with the KGB Sky Show at the end of the game.

Game tickets start at $60.30 and can be purchased at holidaybowl.com through Ticketmaster.

Public transportation and parking

Fans can take the Metropolitan Transit System’s Green Line to Snapdragon Stadium by exiting at the Stadium Station. One-way fares cost $2.50 and $6 for a day pass for adults. Park and ride locations and trolley schedules can be found at sdmts.com/rider-info/events/holiday-bowl-game-0. 

For those who choose to drive to the game, parking spaces are sold in advance starting at $36.20 at snapdragonstadium.com/visit/directions-parking-and-transportation. 

There are also rideshare pick-up and drop-off areas inside Gate 1 on Mission Village Drive.

TV and radio

The game will be broadcast nationally on FOX television and Sirius XM Channel 83 on radio.

Team outings

Washington State and Syracuse are scheduled to visit the USS Tripoli on Tuesday and will visit SeaWorld on Wednesday starting at 11 a.m.

5K run and walk

The first event on game day is the 29th annual Port of San Diego Game Day 5K Run/Walk on Friday starting at 9:45 a.m. The 5K course starts at Ash Street. Participants will travel south on Harbor Drive.

5K participants get a finishers medal and awards for those who finish at the top of their age division. To register for the 5K, visit holidaybowl.com/5k-walk-run.

The parade

Following the San Diego Game Day 5K Run/Walk is the Holiday Bowl Parade on Friday at 10 a.m. The parade highlights the Washington State and Syracuse marching bands, drill teams and various floats with extra-large balloons. More than 100,000 observers are anticipated by parade organizers. Street viewing is open to the public for free, and grandstand tickets can be purchased for $30 at holidaybowl.com/holiday-bowl-parade.

Bowl Bash

The public can expect live music, food, giveaways, photo opportunities and a battle of the bands competition at the fourth annual Bowl Bash on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. This free event features the bands from Syracuse and Washington State performing against one another at Fifth Avenue and Market Street in the Gaslamp Quarter. The Bowl Bash will also feature street performers, interactive games, photo booths and photo opportunities with the Holiday Bowl trophy.

Tailgate party

On Friday, there will be an official Holiday Bowl tailgate party on the eastside, outside of Snapdragon Stadium. The Holiday Bowl Fan Fest is an all-ages free event. There will also be a beer garden for attendees 21 years and older from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Ticket prices for the beer garden begin at $30 and can be purchased at holidaybowl.com/game-day/tailgate-party.

Holiday Bowl history

The inaugural Holiday Bowl was played Dec. 22, 1978, with Navy beating BYU 23-16 at what was then known as San Diego Stadium.

In years past, the Holiday Bowl matched up teams from the Big 12 and Big Ten with a Pac-12 team. This is the third year that a team from the ACC has competed.

The Holiday Bowl will make its debut at Snapdragon Stadium in 2024. For the last two years, it was played at Petco Park. Before this, the Holiday Bowl was played at Qualcomm Stadium.