Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to descend upon Arlington for Major League Baseball’s All-Star weekend, beginning July 12. Road closures and heavy traffic should be expected in Arlington’s entertainment district leading up to the All-Star game on July 16, and officials are approaching the influx of out-of-town guests as a trial run for the nine FIFA World Cup matches taking place in Arlington in 2026.
Arlington believes major events like the Super Bowl and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which sold out three nights at AT&T Stadium last year, have prepared the city to host other high-attendance events. According to a spokesperson for the Arlington Police Department, plans for traffic management have been in place for over a year, and members of the Event Management Unit attended last year’s All-Star Weekend in Seattle to observe security and safety measures.
“We’re obviously used to hosting big events here, but one unique thing is this is a multi-day event with things being hosted in different venues,” Tim Ciesco, a spokesperson for APD, told the Observer. “[The Event Management Unit] was in Seattle getting the feel for hosting a multi-day event like this.”
Expect Traffic & Know Where to Park
Ahead of the busy weekend Arlington is activating a Traffic Management Center to monitor the roads in the Entertainment District, and traffic signals at major intersections such as Ballpark Way/Stadium Drive, Collins Street, Division Street and Randol Mill Road will be adjusted to aid the flow of traffic. Before and after events Collins Street will be adjusted to create additional lanes.
According to the Arlington Police Department, the city is able to communicate directly with the navigation app Waze to update the latest road closures and adjustments.
During the weekend’s events, general public parking will be available in lots B, C, D, E, L, M, N, Q, V, and W, with prices expected to start around $30 and increasing closer to the stadium. Parking for the All-Star Village — a baseball themed mini-amusement park adjacent to Choctaw Stadium — will be available in lots F, G and H for $25.
In recent years, All-Star Weekend has been hosted in cities with robust public transportation infrastructure, but in Arlington, officials are hoping hotels within walking distances of the venues will help cut back on vehicle traffic. Designated rideshare drop-off and pick-up zones will be marked along Chapman Cutoff near lot C, and the rideshare locations will be enforced by officers.
“We don’t want cars stopping in the middle of the road outside Texas Live and people running into the road and backing up traffic more,” Ciesco said. “Especially after the event, there is going to be a high demand for rideshare services, and [attendees] may be waiting for a little white.”
A Trial Run For FIFA
In 2026, Arlington will host nine FIFA World Cup matches — the most of any U.S. city — at AT&T Stadium, which will be renamed Dallas Stadium for the global soccer tournament. Each game is anticipated to draw 80,000 to 90,000 fans from all over the world, and additional tens of thousands of fans are likely to flood the surrounding areas during games.
While the Arlington Entertainment District has certainly hosted larger crowds in the past (the Texas Rangers' World Series victory parade was attended by over half a million individuals), All-Star Weekend will be an opportunity to measure how the city’s traffic enforcement measures work for drivers who are unfamiliar with the area, Ciesco said.
“We do anticipate a pretty large contingent of people coming from outside the area who have maybe never been to our entertainment district before, so I think similar to the World Cup this will give us a good gauge to look at how those folks are able to get around,” Ciesco said. “Our folks are already meeting with FIFA and have been for some time. … When you’re talking about an international event like that, that is certainly on a bigger scale than even the MLB All-Star Game.”
That said, North Texas officials have emphasized the need for public transport options for the FIFA games and have applied for a federal grant that could fund nearly 60 electric buses to help with the stadium traffic. After the FIFA announcement, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross told the media that the city's traffic management system is efficient enough that he does not believe a lack of public transit factored into Arlington's bid for the final.
All-Star Weekend Schedule
July 12 - HBCU Swingman Classic, 7:00 p.m.July 13 - All-Star Futures Game, 3:10 p.m.
July 13 - Celebrity Softball Game, 7:45 p.m.
July 14 - 2024 MLB Draft (This event will be held at the Fort Worth Stockyards)
July 15 - All-Star Workout Day
July 15 - Home Run Derby, 7:00 p.m.
July 16 - MLB All-Star Game, 7:00 p.m.
