On this long weekend, let’s make time to honor and mourn those who have fallen while serving in our nation’s Armed Forces. Memorial Day also marks the unofficial start of summer.
On Monday, all transit agencies serving Silicon Valley will run on a Sunday/Holiday schedule. This includes but is not limited to
- Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus & light rail service
- SamTrans
- Caltrain
- Highway 17 Express buses between San Jose and Santa Cruz
- Dumbarton Express buses between the East Bay and Palo Alto
Also, on Monday, there is no Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) rail service between Stockton and San Jose.
All public transit service returns to normal schedule Tuesday, May 27.
Read on for transit guides to some sporting events and festivals in Santa Clara County, on this long Memorial Day weekend.
Table of Contents
- FanimeCon (all Memorial Day weekend)
- Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival (Saturday & Sunday)
- San Jose Earthquakes Soccer (Saturday)
- Camila at SAP Center (Saturday)
- Carnatic Music from India (Sunday)
- San Jose Giants Baseball (Monday)
- Want More Public Transit Information?
FanimeCon (all Memorial Day weekend)
Billed as a convention “by fans, for fans,” FanimeCon is Northern California’s largest anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese comics) convention.
FanimeCon runs from May 23-26 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center and some nearby hotels. The Convention Center is at 150 W. San Carlos St. (near S. Market St.) in downtown San Jose.
The public transit options below will help you beat traffic gridlock, high (peak) prices expected for parking in nearby garages, and the nightmare of finding a parking spot at FanimeCon.
Via VTA
Our transit guide to McEnery Convention Center shows you VTA bus and light rail options that take you near Convention Center’s front doors.
Due to track work nearby, VTA shuttle buses will run instead of light rail trains in the Convention Center area. From San Antonio, Tamien, or San Fernando stations, ride the VTA shuttle buses to the stop for Convention Center station. That stop typically uses the same bus stop as the 23 local and 523 Rapid bus lines.
Via BART
Going to FanimeCon from Milpitas and the East Bay? Ride BART (Orange Line or Green Line) to the southernmost end of the line at Berryessa N. San Jose station. There, transfer to VTA’s 500 Rapid bus and ride it to W. Santa Clara/1st in San Jose. From that corner, the Convention Center is a 5-minute bike ride (10 minute walk) away. Riding by bicycle? Look for signage detailing where you can safely park your bicycle during FanimeCon.
Here’s more from BART, and their presence at FanimeCon this year:
Via Caltrain
Going to FanimeCon from areas like Palo Alto, the Peninsula, and San Francisco? Ride Caltrain to San Jose Diridon station. From there, the Convention Center is a 20 minute walk (10 minute bike ride) away. Riding by bicycle? Look for signage detailing where you can safely park your bicycle during FanimeCon.
Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival (Saturday & Sunday)
This weekend, the 44th Annual Mushroom Festival takes place at the Ampitheater in downtown Morgan Hill. The Morgan Hill Ampitheater is at 17000 Monterey Highway (off E. Dunne Ave.) in Morgan Hill. Get your tickets here.
VTA’s 68 bus stops at Monterey Rd. and E. Dunne Ave – only steps away from the fun and festivities. It will help you beat traffic and parking woes expected at this festival.
San Jose Earthquakes Soccer (Saturday)
On Saturday night, the San Jose Earthquakes host the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer (MLS) action. The match takes place at PayPalPark on Coleman in San Jose. Match kickoff is 7:30pm; front gates open at 5:30pm.
Check out the in-game promotions and celebrations for the match:
VTA’s 60 bus serves PayPalPark at the Coleman and Earthquake Way bus stop. The stop is across the street and behind the stadium scoreboard. Or, take a walk or bicycle from Santa Clara Caltrain station. Read our transit guide to PayPalPark for more information.
Camila at SAP Center (Saturday)
Latin pop rock trio Camila visit San Jose Saturday night on their “Regresa” tour. Their show will be at SAP Center starting at 8pm. Doors are expected to open at 7pm. At press time, tickets are still available.
Read our transit guide to SAP Center. It shows you Caltrain, VTA bus, and light rail service that help you beat traffic and parking woes.
Carnatic Music from India (Sunday)
In Santa Clara, a concert of carnatic music of southern India takes place from 4pm-7pm at the Convention Center. The concert will be held at the Elizabeth Hines Theatre within the Convention Center. This will be the Grand Finale of the South India Fine Arts (SIFA) Spring Concert Series.
Never heard of carnatic music from India before? Here is a sample below.
Sunday evening’s concert in Santa Clara features Vidwan Abhishek Raghuram on vocals. At press time, tickets are still available; purchase them here.
Our transit guide to Santa Clara Convention Center shows you how VTA light rail is across the street from Convention Center, at Great America/Levi’s Stadium stop. It also shows you three bus lines within a 10-minute walk of the Convention Center. All will help you beat traffic and parking woes before and after the concert.
San Jose Giants Baseball (Monday)
This Monday – Memorial Day – the San Jose Giants host the Inland Empire 66’ers in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) California League action. The game is at Excite Ballpark at the corner of Senter and Alma streets in San Jose. First patch at 5pm; gates open at 3pm. Tickets for the game – and subsequent series over next week – are still available for your purchase.
Monday night’s game has a promotion:
As part of Salute to the Military night and Memorial Day, the San Jose Giants will be giving away a Gigante Army Camo bobblehead to the first 500 fans through the gate! | Presented By Operation: Care and Comfort
Our transit guide to Giants baseball at Excite Ballpark helps you beat traffic and parking for this and other San Jose Giants baseball games. Among which; how the 73 bus line stops in back of the third base side of the ball park.
Want More Public Transit Information?
Follow @svtransitupdts on X (formerly known as Twitter) for the latest public transit information and tips, local to Silicon Valley and San Jose.
Have fun and stay safe this long weekend.
Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users