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Special Events

Large conferences sponsored by Stanford departments create surges in parking demand. Most weekdays, all central campus lots are filled to capacity with commuters and routine visitors. To avoid disrupting the regular users of these lots, we have arranged to provide parking for large events at outlying lots. These locations are indicated with a pink “E” on our Parking & Circulation Map.

One-day “scratcher” permits

“Visitor” scratchers

“Visitor” scratchers (which allow parking at meters, in Pay-by-Space or Pay & Display spaces, and in “E” Event spaces) are available for purchase at $16 each.

“Special Event” scratchers

Because the supply of parking spaces in central campus is limited, we also have a “Special Event” scratcher for $4.50 each, which is valid in the following parking locations:

Varsity lot (L-97) near Stanford Stadium and Sunken Diamond
Parking Structure 5 (S-5) on the roof deck only
Parking Structure 9 (S-9) next to Hoover Pavilion

Please contact P&TS at 723-9362 or eventparking@stanford.edu for advice when scheduling a large group event and/or to purchase a quantity of “Special Event” scratchers from our office.

Take a shuttle to and from your campus event

Marguerite — Stanford's free public shuttle

Stanford's free Marguerite shuttle system serves major parking structures and visitor parking lots on campus. Refer to our “Event parking and Marguerite shuttle service” page for the most convenient shuttle options.

Charter reservations

Parking & Transportation Services can help you arrange charter shuttles for special events. Go to our Charter Services page to request a reservation.

Reserve Galvez Lot for your event

Galvez Lot (L-96) is designated as an "event" parking lot, with a maximum parking capacity of 423 cars. The lot offers a paved surface, marked spaces, permanent lighting, and nine (9) pay machines (pay-by-space number). There are three access driveways: two points of entry/exit on Galvez Street and a third access point on Lasuen Street (near Campus Drive).

Event planners can schedule event parking at Galvez Lot by contacting P&TS at eventparking@stanford.edu or at 650.723.9362. P&TS offers several payment options, which are outlined in the Galvez Lot Event Parking Guidelines (PDF).

To minimize your department’s event costs and encourage event attendees to use alternative transportation, you are encouraged to have event attendees pay their own parking fee. Visit our Stanford Events and Peak-hour Trips web page to learn more about events and peak-trips at Stanford.

Reduce peak-hour event trips at Stanford

There are an increasing number of events at Stanford with hundreds or even thousands of event attendees on any given day. This makes it challenging for Stanford to meet its obligations to reduce peak-hour vehicle trips under its General Use Permit (PDF) with the County of Santa Clara.

As an event planner, you can help reduce peak-hour event trips in a number of ways:

Schedule events outside of peak arrival times (8 a.m. to 9 a.m.) and peak departure times (5 p.m. to 6 p.m.) on weekdays.
If you can’t avoid peak-trip arrivals and departures, consider offering a reception or activity that could encourage some attendees to arrive or depart outside of the peak-commute times.
Suggest alternative transportation options for your event attendees.
Consider reserving a shuttle through Stanford Charter Services to transport your attendees to and from your campus event.
Have event attendees pay their own parking fee rather than offer free parking at Stanford. Refer to the Galvez Lot Parking Guidelines (PDF) for details regarding payment options.

In addition to helping Stanford comply with the GUP, you also will be improving the experience for your event attendees by reducing traffic they will encounter when attending your event. Learn more in the “Stanford Events and Peak-Hour Trips” section of our website.

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