Getting to — or around — this weekend’s big soccer match in Columbia. What to know
With tens of thousands of people planning to attend the Rivals in Red game between British Premier League soccer powerhouses Manchester United and Liverpool at 7:45 p.m. Saturday, here’s a guide to help navigate traffic in Columbia:
Parking available
Parking around the stadium will likely be hard to come by. Organizers report that a limited number of general admission spots remain at the S.C. State Fairgrounds, across George Rogers Boulevard from Williams-Brice.
The fairgrounds lists the following prices for parking:
Cars: $40
Mini-bus (9-24 passengers): $60
Bus (25+ passengers): $100
Gamecock Park and the Woodstock Lot are both sold out, with those lots and the fairgrounds opening at 2:30 p.m.
Organizers note that other businesses in the area are likely to open up their lots for paid parking, as they do when the Gamecocks are playing during the fall.
The Coop at Key Road (1100 Key Road) is offering car parking for $75, with access to restrooms. Gates there also open at 2:30 p.m.
Organizers have provided a map of the stadium area that includes private lots that frequently open up for football games.
Master Trooper William Bennett with the S.C. Highway Patrol advised that attendees heading to the stadium put a special emphasis on showing up early for this event.
“I would expect the traffic volume to probably be heavier around 5 p.m.,” he said. “The earlier people get there, the better, obviously. We just want to make sure everybody’s packing their patience when they leave the house because it is going to be busy. You’ve got 100,000-plus people coming to this event. A lot of them are not from the area, so they are not familiar with the area.”
The Gamecock Village Fan Zone will open at 2:30 p.m. along with parking, closing at 6:30 p.m. That area will feature live music, a Club Legends Q&A session, meet and greets, pictures with trophies and mascots, in addition to kids activities and food and drink available for purchase.
Shuttle service
A shuttle service will be available for those unable to park near Williams-Brice.
The shuttle will take people from Colonial Life Arena (801 Lincoln St.) to a drop-off inside the fairgrounds.
$20 parking will be available at the arena, and the cost to ride the shuttle is $5 per person roundtrip.
What you can bring into the stadium
As with all events at Williams-Brice, a clear bag policy will be in effect at the soccer match.
Approved bags:
Clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags that do not exceed 12x6x12-inch (a logo no larger than 4.5x3.4 can be displayed on one side of a permissible clear bag).
A clear bag shall be clear from top to bottom and up to a 2-inch trim/border on the bag is generally acceptable.
One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar)
Small clutch bags no larger than 4.5x6.5-inch — approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap
Medically necessary items (special medical gates: West Premium Gate 20 and East Gate 81)
Coolers, thermoses, cups, glass bottles, cans and flasks are among items prohibited, but banners are allowed — if they meet the following requirements:
May be no larger 3x5 feet
Cannot be attached to a pole or stick
May not be hung, attached or displayed on any part of the building
Must not contain offensive or obscene language
Those with graphic depictions must be in good taste and contain no depictions that would offend or embarrass other patrons
Getting around stadium traffic
During packed events at Williams-Brice, such as Saturday’s soccer match, traffic is often gnarled on Assembly Street headed out to the stadium area and in high-traffic areas downtown, as well as on George Rogers Boulevard, Bluff Road and Rosewood Drive going around the stadium.
Master Trooper Bennett said traffic patterns and closures for the match will largely look the same as typical pregame and postgame traffic flow around the stadium and in downtown Columbia.
“I don’t know what time the teams are getting to the stadium, but we would shut Bluff Road down when they pull up just to get off and get inside the stadium,” he said. “I would imagine probably sometime after 5 p.m.
“Then after the game, biggest thing that we really do is we shut down George Rogers Boulevard,” Bennett added. “And Bluff Road’s reverse, so all those lanes are going to be open for traffic, pushing traffic away from the stadium.”
Columbia police report two other events causing road closures that will impact drivers on this busy Saturday.
Strictly Running’s Hot Summer Nights 5K is set to start at 8 p.m., with closures at the following intersections:
King St. at Lee St.
Devine St. at Queen St.
Devine St. at King St.
King St. at Blossom St.
King St. at Wheat St.
King St. at Duncan St.
Woodrow St. at Duncan St.
Shandon St. at Duncan St
Woodrow St. at Monroe St.
Bonham St. at Duncan St.
King St. at Monroe St.
Queen St. at Wilmot St.
Queen St. at Wheat St.
The 803 Day Festival, set to take place at the Robert Mills House and Hampton Preston Mansion, will cause the 1600 block of Blanding Street (between Pickens and Henderson streets) to be closed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
In addition, Soda City Market, which runs weekly from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will cause closures along the 1300-1700 blocks of Main Street, with cross streets remaining open.
Where to tune in
If you can’t attend the game, the match will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.
This story was originally published August 1, 2024 at 4:55 AM.
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