Community and Economic Development Committee
April 27, 2026
Item (d)3
Major Events
Status Report
Tommy O’Hare, 2026 Sports & Special Events Director, City Manager’s Office Jen Baker, Director, City Manager’s Office of Economic Development & Cultural Affairs John Poch, Executive Director, San José Sports Authority Super Bowl LX Recap
Event Attendance:
• Nearly 460,000 unique Downtown visitors,
Jan 31-Feb 8, +25% YOY
• 48,000 over 3 days at San Pedro Superfest;
25,000 at City Hall Plaza concerts
and 2,000 at Invisible Skies
• 130,000 passengers at Airport; 234
additional commercial flights; 900+ private
jets
Restaurant/Retail Performance:
• Nuvo Hospitality Group: 300% sales
increase compared to a typical weekend
• San Pedro Square Market Vendors – single
sales day record exceeded 30% 2
NCAA Men’s Basketball Rec
3 Event Attendance:
• 46,500 attendance at 3 games
• 3,700 attendance at DJ Diesel concert at San
Pedro Square
• SJSU Art+Tech Collab: Free Throw and Trophy
Hotel Performance:
• ~80% occupancy, +12.3% vs. STLY
• $200 average daily rate, +21.6% vs STLY+36.6%
vs. STLY
What Worked Well
4 • Strong Downtown Activation: Large-scale events at City Hall Plaza, San Pedro Square, and Santana Row created a continuous festival atmosphere
• Successful Cultural Integration: Arts programming such as Hometown Heros, Invisible Skies, and Free Throw
Projection Mapping complemented and expanded the
events beyond sports-focused programming
• Entertainment Zone Activations: Significant interest and excitement about first uses
• Collaboration: Excellent partnership among local, state, federal, and private entities
• Community: Early data show strong results
What We Learned
5 • Communication Can Ensure a Fun and Safe Event: Improved communication to the public was key to the Shaq concert having zero major safety issues
• Entertainment Zones: Requires good communication with local bars & restaurants regarding desire to use, how they are used (e.g., pop-up bar sales), and requirements for branded cups, wrist bands, and PD & private security requirements
• Private Support: Strong private sponsorship interest, but requires significant sales, legal, and management support from SJ26 • Flexibility is Key: Ability to change activations based on vendors, budget, and other needs has allowed SJ26 to maintain a high level of quality events
Looking Ahead: FIFA World C
6 Day Date Time Teams Group
Saturday June 13 12:00 pm Qatar vs. Switzerland B
Tuesday June 16 9:00 pm Austria vs. Jordan J
Friday June 19 9:00 pm Turkey vs. Paraguay D
Monday June 22 8:00 pm Jordan vs. Algeria J
Thursday June 25 7:00 pm Paraguay vs. Australia D
Wednesday July 1 5:00 pm Round of 32 match: Group D
winner and 3rd place team from
Group B, E, F, I, or J
Looking Ahead: FIFA World C
7 Fan Zones, Watch Parties,
Activations:
• Earthquakes Soccer Celebration at San
Pedro Square Market – largest viewing
party in the region; hosting all 104 matches
over 39 days; free to public
• The Row Cup at Santana Row
• World Cup activations in Council
Districts
Looking Ahead: FIFA World C
8 Additional Programming:
• CityDance
• Viva Parks
• Make Music Day – June 21
• Gaiascope and Bucky Ball Public Art
• Symphony San José’s Symphonic World Cup
• Hometown Heroes exhibits at City Hall
• The Locker Room
Looking Ahead: FIFA World C
9 Diplomatic & Business Events:
• Community/diaspora events
• International business symposium
Business/tech/diplomatic leaders
International industry showcase
Panel discussions – AI, energy resource
management, advanced manufacturing
Bus tours
Looking Ahead: FIFA World C
10 Supporting Small Businesses:
• Small Business Toolkit webinar – May
• Team San José BASH – June 4
• Directors Alliance, BIDs, business
association outreach
Game On Program
NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAMMIN
11 • Youth Engagement Initiative: Turning global sporting moments into access, inspiration, and life skills.
• Sport as a Vehicle: Promoting physical activity, teamwork, and social-emotional development. • Programming: Introduces youth to a variety of sports in a fun, inclusive environment while reinforcing core values like confidence, leadership, and collaboration, and providing pathways for continued participation
• Local Sports Teams: Bringing in current and alumni players, as well as team mascots, to enhance the experience and create memorable, inspirational moments for participants • Progress to Date: Completed 22 events (reaching over 2,000 students), currently have 28 additional events scheduled, for a total of 50 events from January–June 2026, with an estimated 2,000 more students to impact
Game On Program
NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAMMIN
12 13
Feb Mar May Jun- Jul Jul Aug Oct Nov
2026 EVENTS
Community and Economic Development Committee
April 27, 2026
Item (d)3
Major Events
Status Report
Tommy O’Hare, 2026 Sports & Special Events Director, City Manager’s Office Jen Baker, Director, City Manager’s Office of Economic Development & Cultural Affairs John Poch, Executive Director, San José Sports Authority