SAN DIEGO — Padres fans were out in force for the big season opener against the Atlanta Braves and that prompted us to add up for you what everything costs for the ballpark experience.
“Never been to Petco,” said fan John Hottoby. “I’m excited to go.”
A day before the home opener, we checked online for the cheapest tickets, and found four seats together in section 309 go for $69.00 each. With tax and fees, that’s $315 dollars for a family of four. Or if you’re fine without having seats, the general admission tickets for Gallagher Square run $45.00, which for a family of four would run about $200. But according to the Padres CEO Erik Greupner, they usually have park passes available for even cheaper.
“It just all depends on the game,” said Greupner. “So we have always a certain number of $15 park passes that are available to come down and it gets you into the entire ball park. So even though it’s a ticket specifically for Gallagher Square, there’s no limitation on where you can go in the ballpark in terms of checking out the food and beverage options.”
The parking options available online range from $35 to $45 and that brought our running total to $350. But you can avoid parking fees altogether by taking the bus or trolley.
“The trolley’s the perfect solution,” said Greupner. “It’s easy. It’s cost-effective and it can take you all the way down to the Park Blvd & Market St stop or the 12th Street and Imperial Avenue stop.”
For a family of four, you’d pay $2.50 a person each way, so that’s about $20 total for the family. But starting May 1, anyone 18 years of age or younger can ride MTS public transit for free.
“That’s really important because for a family going to the game, you’re looking for the value,” said Sharon Cooney, CEO for MTS.
And as for food prices, hot dogs can start anywhere from $6.00 to $8.00 depending on the toppings.
“We tried hot dogs, bratwurst,” said Padres fan Tim Zoellner. “I don’t remember the exact pricing, but it definitely wasn’t cheap.”
A round of hot dogs, soft drinks, and a bag of peanuts for the entire family would easily run you over $50.
“I would say minimum, probably more than that,” said Zoellner.
And if you’d like to leave the game with a souvenir, hats at the Padres team store cost a minimum of $40.00.
“I’ve got a Padres hat,” said John Hottoby in the Padres team store. “Uh, I haven’t even looked… $45 bucks! That’s steep!”
So all in with tickets, parking, concessions, and Padres gear, you can easily rack up a total of over $500. But again, if you’re on a budget and plan ahead by getting the $15 park passes when they’re available and take public transit to future games, your family can get the ballpark experience for hundreds of dollars less than that.
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