#ThriftyThursday Rose Bowl Flea Market Hints and Haul

Have you ever been curious about attending the famous Rose Bowl Flea Market? Read on for helpful hints!

I’ve been going to the Rose Bowl Flea Market on and off for most of my life. It is exciting and exhausting and you just never know what (or whom) you may find. I decided to share some things I’ve learned about how to shop the Rose Bowl so that it is less daunting and more fun.

GENERAL INFO:
1. Dress in layers. It gets hot in Pasadena
2. Wear sunscreen and a hat
3. Wear really comfortable shoes
4. If you’re planning on doing a lot of shopping, bring a wheeled cart but keep an eye on it.
5. Bring cash
6. Ask nicely and maybe a vendor might bargain down the price. Hit or miss but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
7. If you bring children, watch them. I saw a little boy get hurt playing with an antique item.

ADMISSION INFO:
1. The Rose Bowl Flea Market is held on the second Sunday of every month.
2. You can only buy your admission tickets online. HERE
3. Regular Admission tickets cost $13.00 per person plus a $0.72 fee.
4. Children under 12 admitted free with an adult.
5. Regular Admission tickets gets you in at 9:00 a.m., rain or shine
6. There is also VIP Admission tickets that gets you in at 5:00 a.m. (If you’re a serious collector and want the first opportunity to buy before the general public sees it.)
7. VIP Admission tickets cost $20.00 per person plus a $1.10 fee.

PARKING – Depending on where you are coming from, map directions will bring you to the Rose Bowl via different roads. Once you get close to the parking areas you will see people directing you to various parking lots. If you arrive early then it should be pretty easy to get into a parking lot. If you come later in the day then please be patient with the traffic and staff as you will eventually find a space.
1. Parking is usually on dirt or grassy areas and is free but plan to walk.
2. If it is your first time there and you park surrounded by a sea of cars, I recommend that you take photos of hills, trees or buildings around your parking spot. Or drop a pin on your phone. It really is a sea of cars.
3. On my map below, the purple area indicates just a small area of parking. I have never been there when the parking lots were full although I have had to walk quite far several times.
4. There is also some parking on residential side streets (off to the right of the photo below, but Pasadena is quite hilly so think about whether you want to walk uphill after walking around the Bowl.

LET’S GO IN
1. The red dot on my map below shows the only entrance to the Bowl. They will scan your Admission ticket at the entry gate.
2. Once you enter, look around (usually on the left side) for any freebie SWAG they might have available.
3. Which way to go? This depends on what you are looking for.
4. Walk around the Bowl (blue line on my map) if you are looking for new items or vendors selling their arts and crafts items
5. Turn left and walk past the fence area into the parking lot area (green line on my map) to start finding vintage and antique items.
6. Hint: pace yourself. Unless you find exactly what you want near this entrance, remember there are two large parking lots of stuff you might want more.
7. On the other hand. If you love it then buy it because it probably won’t be there when you come back.
8. I always try to zig zag left in the green area first. The rows get shorter and at the point, I come back along the long, left side of the area. I’ve found some great things in the narrow green section to the left of the bowl but usually I get distracted by the bridge over the Arroyo Seco. (Arroyo Seco is what remains of the original river that flowed through this area. Many old houses in Pasadena have stonework using the stones from the original Arroyo.)
9. Where the pink and green areas come to a point at the bottom of my map, there are exits to the parking lots. If you need to take something to your vehicle, you can get your hand stamped and reenter to do more shopping.

CROSSING THE BRIDGE
1. Half way along the left of the green area in my map you will see two bridges that cross over to the pink area. Note that the pink area is larger than the green area so save your energy and money for a lot more thrifting.
2. Years ago, the pink area seemed to have mostly vintage clothing and the area wasn’t so large. I think it is now more vintage and antique in general so plenty to see.

FOOD AND FACILITIES
1. Food is expensive so you might want to eat before you get there and pack a few snacks.
2. Bring lots of water
3. There are food vendors selling the same selection located in each area.
4. Lemonade is great but expensive.
5. There are restrooms around the Bowl and in the pink area on my map. You will have to go back towards the entrance near the front of the bowl for restrooms if you are in the green area.

CONCLUSION
If you can make it through all of the sections then you are amazing. Hope you find lots of treasures and have a lot of fun. Every time I go, it seems to be the hottest day of the month. The flea market goes on rain or shine so if you do go on cooler months then be aware that you might be shopping in the rain. Vendors might be more eager to bargain but there also might be fewer vendors. Parking in a muddy field might not be very fun either but it is all an adventure. Good luck and happy thrifting!

And be sure and check out my YouTube video below to see what treasures I found recently at the Rose Bowl Flea Market and on Facebook Marketplace.