PHOENIX – The 2025 Fiesta Bowl Parade has always been a celebration, though this year the colorful annual pregame parade will continue its transformation into one of the largest open-air parties Central Avenue has seen, redefining how cities show up and prepare for college football playoff games.
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Dec 16, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; The 51st edition of the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade marches down Central Ave. in Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic
The 53rd annual VRBO 2025 Fiesta Bowl Parade is drumming up excitement for its 1.5-mile march throughout Phoenix. The biggest difference this year isn’t just size, it’s intention. Organizers leaned into what fans already wanted, which is being immersed in the Fiesta Bowl atmosphere. Central Avenue will see not just one of college football’s most original events, but the parade will bring energy to Phoenix from the moment it starts to set up. The parade will host everything from bands, various organizations around Arizona, and all of the Fiesta Bowl festivities from years past.
Fiesta Sports Foundation Committee Chairman, Ryan Hatch, wavs to the crowd during the 2024 Fiesta Bowl Parade on Dec. 28, 2024, in Phoenix, Ariz. © Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The 2025 Fiesta Bowl Parade will transform Central Ave:
The Fiesta Bowl isn’t just competing with other bowls; it’s showing why it is the CFP semi-final for a reason. By turning the 2025 Fiesta Bowl Parade into a destination event, Phoenix strengthens its national brand while giving local fans ownership of the moment. This is college football culture meeting city identity, and it works because it’s communal. The parade will be on Saturday, January 3rd, 2026, and will also be streamed live on Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports Network, and across its digital platforms.
A parade D.J. leads a crowd in a conga line as they await the start of the 2024 Fiesta Bowl Parade on Dec. 28, 2024, in Phoenix, Ariz. © Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
For traveling fans, it’s a release with a place where alumni pride, school colors, and neutral observers collide. Psychologically, it lowers the barrier to entry; you don’t need a ticket to feel part of the game. You just need to be on beautiful Central Avenue. The 2025 Fiesta Bowl Parade isn’t background noise to the game; it’s the opening act. Show up early, stay late, and understand this isn’t just a walk down Central Avenue anymore, it’s one of college football’s biggest street parties.
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Reporter Benjamin Bliklen covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @BenBliklen
