Historic teams have come through Pasadena, Calif., over the course of 111 Rose Bowl games, including this year’s national champion, Ohio State. But Rose Bowl Stadium has never seen a group quite like this.
As the Eaton Fire continues burning just miles away, the Rose Bowl grounds have served as a base camp for nearly 4,000 first responders and those supporting their efforts. A locker room has become a command center; another a briefing room. Outside, converted trailers serve as sleeping quarters, a laundromat, or a medical facility. Two kitchens serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mail is delivered and sent out. A support center employs six dogs to help comfort firefighters and National Guard service members.
“We’re in the events business; we’re not in the stadium business,” Rose Bowl CEO Jens Weiden said. “Right now we’re putting on—maybe not the most iconic—but probably one of the most important events we’ve ever put on, which is hosting these folks so they can go out there and do their job and stop this fire.”
Owned by the city of Pasadena, the Rose Bowl Stadium has always been part of the place’s emergency response plans, though few foresaw devastation coming so close to home.
“Minutes into the fire, they knew it was going to be a large-scale fight, so within minutes I got a call from the deputy fire chief and he said, ‘We need your space,’” Weiden recalled. “And I said, ‘We’re ready.’”
In Los Angeles, open, accessible areas can be difficult to find. But the Rose Bowl has maintained vast swaths of parkland and surface-level parking lots that have allowed it to host a small town’s worth of services this month. The facility also spends $2 million to $9 million annually on capital projects—touch-ups like gas and water line infrastructure improvements—that have proved critical of late.
The first responders will stay as long as duty demands—the Eaton Fire remains roughly 90% contained, though cleanup efforts will likely continue well past the last lick of flame. But Weiden’s job requires him to keep an eye on the future too.
Multiple events slated for the Rose Bowl Stadium have already been canceled or postponed, though the venue hopes to return to its original purpose as soon as it can reasonably do so. January is typically a quiet month, full of planning discussions and improvement projects; the staff is doing their best to keep those on track while hosting a unique large-scale operation.
The Rose Bowl announced an $80 million revamp in December, including improved seating, club space and video boards. Weiden said none of those renovations have been delayed and the funding remains secured.
Last year, the Pasadena landmark was selected to host six matches in FIFA’s new Club World Cup, starting with Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atlético de Madrid on June 15. Tickets are on sale now, with prices starting around $100 for that match.
In 2026, LA’s SoFi Stadium will host eight World Cup matches. Two years later, soccer will return to the Rose Bowl during the 2028 Olympics. Assuming all goes according to plan.
FIFA has said it is “actively monitoring the situation” in LA. While the Rose Bowl has not been directly impacted by the wildfires, finding places for players to stay in the area could be complicated, and it remains to be seen what kind of resources the city can devote to hosting the event.
The same can be said on a larger scale for the 2028 games.
“The strength of our communities and our unity in tough times make this city extraordinary, and when Los Angeles welcomes the world in 2028, our spirit will shine brighter than ever before,” LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman said in a statement.
Hosting a major sporting event in the wake of tragedy is unfortunately nothing new. The 1948 Summer Games took place in London four years after the city withstood Nazi bombing raids. Mexico’s 1986 World Cup, meanwhile, came less than nine months after a massive earthquake killed at least 10,000 people and left many more without homes.
There are likely difficult conversations ahead, however. LA had already asked for $3.2 billion in federal support to complete related transportation projects ahead of the Opening Ceremony. It’s not hard to imagine that ask being pushed down the priority list now, as fires have caused up to $250 billion in damages and economic loss, in addition to unimaginable emotional trauma.
Much of what was wiped away can never truly be rebuilt. But LA’s iconic sporting venues, all physically unharmed for now, can help strengthen Angelenos’ sense of community amid disruption. That healing process is already underway on one of sports’ most revered grounds.
“Our goal [going forward] is to have everything we do have some type of a benefit to those that were impacted,” Weiden said.
