Live concerts, musical festivals, and sporting events are back in full force. And when it comes to event venues, the Philippine Arena in Bulacan is one of the most popular places for international acts with huge audiences expected. With a maximum seating capacity of over 55,000, the Philippine Arena is said to be the world’s largest indoor stadium.
It’s hosted world-class acts including Katy Perry, classic hard rock band Guns N’ Roses, South Korean boy band Seventeen, Harry Styles, BLACKPINK, and Bruno Mars. Upcoming concerts at the Philippine Arena include Twice’s ‘Ready to Be World Tour’ later this year and Coldplay in January 2024. It will also be one of the venues of the FIBA World Basketball Cup 2023 from August 25 to September 10.
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But despite the stadium’s size, the Philippine Arena is notorious for not being a concert-friendly venue because of the lack of public transportation options and nearby commercial areas.
Here are some transportation tips to help you survive concerts and events at the Philippine Arena.
General location
The Philippine Arena is located at Ciudad de Victoria in Santa Maria, in the towns of Bocaue and Santa Maria in Bulacan. The stadium is located about 30km north of Metro Manila along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
1) Traveling to the Philippine Arena by private vehicle
NLEX exit
The Ciudad de Victoria exit is currently the closest exit and offers a direct route to Philippine Arena. From Metro Manila, take NLEX and keep on the right side of the expressway to get to the Philippine Arena, which is just after the Marilao exit. The NLEX toll plaza comes right before entering the parking area of the Philippine Arena.
You can also make use of the Bocaue exit and park in Parking Lot E. This involves a longer walk, but it will save you time in going home and exiting.
Those coming from northern Luzon and taking the southbound NLEX can find their exit near the complex, which leads into the Ciudad de Victoria Bypass Road (another venue entrance).
Check out the site map below of the different parking areas provided for the Bruno Mars concert in June 2023 for reference.
RFID
Before your drive, make sure to have an Easytrip RFID installed to be able to pass through the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to avoid getting stuck in cash lanes. Here’s a full guide on how to reload your Easytrip RFID.
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Parking
When it comes to parking capacity, the Philippine Arena has enough slots for over 10,000 vehicles surrounding the venue. Parking A to D are reserved for small private vehicles and are closer to the arena, while the Parking E area is usually designated for larger buses and other vehicles.
Unfortunately, just entering and exiting the venue can be a “hellish” experience as described by concert attendees due to the sheer volume of vehicles trying to get in and out. The Philippine Arena has only two entry and two exit points, which results in chokepoints if you arrive or head out late. Many attendees have reported taking a minimum of two hours just to get out of the event grounds after the concerts.
2) Traveling the the Philippine Arena by public transport
It can be a bit confusing for those without private cars to attend concerts at the Philippine Arena. Unfortunately, there is no direct mass public transportation option near the venue such as trains or subways as you would expect in other countries.
However, there are a few ways to commute there as suggested by Spot.ph and Commute Tour, though most involve multiple transfers.
- Catch a bus at Farmers Plaza in Cubao to Barangay Turo in Bocaue. The bus should have a signboard of “Bocaue Exit” on it. From there, take a tricycle to the Philippine Arena.
- Take a P2P bus from SM North EDSA or TriNoma with a direct route to Bocaue or Santa Maria. Ride a tricycle to the Philippine Arena.
- Head to LRT-1 D. Jose Station. Below the station is a bus terminal with buses en route to Barangay Turo as well. Buses should have a signboard of “Santa Cruz – Bocaue.” Afterwards, take a tricycle to the Philippine Arena.
- From Monumento, take a bus with a “Balagtas – Monumento” signboard then get off at the Bocaue or Santa Maria stop. Take a tricycle to the Philippine Arena.
- PITX buses will pass by LRT Buendia, Taft, Lawton, Quiapo, Dangwa, and Andres Bonifacio before reaching the North Luzon Express terminal stop, which is located beside the Philippine Arena.
- SM San Fernando offers van rides to the Philippine Arena. You can also ride a jeep to Apalit and take a jeep to Bocaue Bypass Road.
3) Traveling to the Philippine Arena by shuttle
To address the sore lack of public transportation, concert organizers like Live Nation Philippines and fan bases typically offer round trip shuttle services or carpools for concertgoers. Services can cost anywhere from P450 to P1,000 depending on the point of origin, inclusive of toll fees and payment for gas.
Based on the rates for the upcoming Twice World Tour in September 2023, round-trip shuttle bus tickets from Vertis North cost P450, while round-trip fares from Mall of Asia cost about P600. Trips run every 30 minutes from 9am. to 4pm. Only concert ticket holders can purchase shuttle bus tickets at SM Tickets with limited availability.
Here are some other shuttle vans and bus options for Twice at the Philippine Arena from different locations around Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon.
Stay safe and informed on the road
- NLEX hotline for emergencies: 1-35000
- NLEX Twitter account for traffic updates: @NLEXexpressways
Accommodation options
Want to stay near the concert grounds before or after the event to avoid the stressful drive? You may want to book an airbnb or hotel nearby instead. Check out 10 places to stay near the Philippine Arena for any budget as recommended by our sister site Spot.ph.
Food and beverage
To avoid getting hangry on the way to the concert, eat a big meal beforehand and bring your own baon. Along the way, you could make a stop at the Petron Station NLEX-Northbound, the nearest food establishment to the Philippine Arena.
Food concessionaire are usually available on site, but lines are usually long and food options are expensive, so it’s best to just bring your own snacks like bento meals or easy-to-pack sandwiches. You can’t bring outside food or drinks, so eat everything beforehand or leave them and your water tumblers in the car for the drive home.
Bring extra drinks as concert organizers don’t always set up water refilling stations. However, you will have to throw any plastic water bottles before the security check.
Philippine Arena survival tips
1) Arrive and leave early
Traffic jams and delays are inevitable for any concert. Some concert-goers have reported leaving at least six hours from Metro Manila before the concert starts to ensure they find prime parking and get to the event in time. Another trick for car owners is to leave at once even before the event ends. You may have to skip the curtain call, but it’s a sacrifice just to avoid getting trapped in carmageddon.
2) Carpool with friends.
For those coming from Metro Manila, it makes sense to just carpool with friends to and from the venue to save on gas, toll fees, and the stress of finding several parking spaces.
3) Park near the exits or outside the venue.
Find an alternative place to park outside the concert venue and take a tricycle to the border of the arena and just walk. Parking Areas A to D are the closest to the actual arena, but Parking Area E3 or E4 (roughly about a kilometer away) requires a shorter drive exiting the arena complex.
4) Wear comfortable clothing and shoes.
Wear something light and comfortable as getting from the parking lot to the arena involves a lot of walking. You’ll also be climbing staris to get to the upper box seats, so wear your most comfortable pair of rubber shoes.
5) Avoid bulky bags.
Avoid bringing bulky backpacks as event organizers usually only allow bags up to 12 by 12 inches inside the venue. A small cross-body bag or fanny pack is the best for jumping around and dancing, and will allow you hands-free enjoyment.
6) Pack only essential items.
Bring only essentials like your official tickets, valid IDs, fully-charged smartphones, powerbank, wallet, hand sanitizer, tissue and wet wipes, foldable umbrella, and poncho. Read the venue and concert guidelines to know what items are allowed and not allowed inside.
Here’s a list of some of the usual prohibitions at the Philippine Arena:
- No smoking and vaping
- No banners bigger than size A4
- No water bottles or tumblers
- No drug or medication unless cleared with medical personnel
- No professional cameras
- No selling of unofficial merchandise
- No backpacks bigger than 12x12
- No outside food and drinks
- No selfie sticks
- No large costumes unless surrendered for security inspection
- No double purpose security gadgets
- No drones
- No spike belts or bracelets
7) Ensure communication lines.
Make sure your phones are fully-charged and you have enough load to send out texts and make calls. However, with the volume of people at the venue, expect mobile phone signal in the vicinity to be unstable regardless of your service provider.
Do not rely on online messaging or social media apps as your main mode of communication. Save the phone numbers of your friends and family members in case of emergencies. If you are going to the concert through a shuttle service, save the numbers of the bus or shuttle driver and companions to avoid getting stranded.
8) Bring enough cash.
Bring enough cash and small bills since there are no available ATMs near the Philippine Arena, and stalls don’t usually accept card payments. Online payments like GCash may not be reliable due to signal problems.
There you have it. Hopefully, these tips will help you out the next time you have to attend a concert at the Philippine Arena.
