New Great America Pavilion for 49ers, Levi's Stadium unveiled

Byby Nick Smith KGO logo
Friday, June 27, 2014
New Great America Pavilion for 49ers, Levi's Stadium unveiled
Officials gave a sneak peek of the new Great America Pavilion for the 49ers and Levi's Stadium.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- San Francisco 49ers fans who like to tailgate before games are in for a treat. Officials say they have solved the parking issue at the new stadium. They have enough parking, but all of the parking will not allow tailgating, so they think they have come up with a solution.

Officials with the San Francisco 49ers, California's Great America and Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews gave a tour of what they're calling the family entertainment center for all 49ers Red Zone Rally pre-games as well as other Levi's Stadium events.

It's called the Great America Pavilion and the new 18,000 square-foot facility is designed to bridge the gap created by reduced parking lot availability for tailgating, while still giving families access to food and drinks within walking distance of the stadium.

49ers Chief Operation Officer Al Guido describes it as family friendly pre-game destination, but it's the price tag for this family fun that may give some pause.

"We are going to be selling the space for all 10 49ers games at a price of $850. That is an all-inclusive food and beverage experience and activation experience," Guido said.

"This will be an adjustment for people who have had their spaces. Remember all the way back to the Quasar days, but the reality of it is the value they're getting here is far superior," Matthews said.

Higher-end tickets have better parking and the 49ers team says they have been working with the city of Santa Clara for three years to make sure everything goes smooth. According to the mayor, there are 32,000 parking spaces available for fans on game days. However, about a third of those come with restrictions on tailgating.

Officials are hoping the majority of fans will take public transportation. In fact, officials are planning a test run this Sunday and they're planning to close streets and set up barricades and test traffic systems.

Season packages may be purchased by phone at 415-GO-49ERS (464-9377), online at www.49ers.com/tickets, or at www.levisstadium.com/tickets. Only the 10-game season pass will be sold at this time.