Rolling Stone has called it a “once-in-a-lifetime show,” while the Tampa Bay Times described it as a “rhinestone-crusted journey of escapism.” In a pop-culture summer that has been dominated by iconic women, it’s only fitting that the season closes in California with another blockbuster: Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour.
The tour is making two California stops: Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara (Aug. 30) and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles County (Sept. 1, 2, and 4). No surprise, both stadiums have hosted Super Bowls in recent years—Beyoncé even performed the halftime show at the 2016 game at Levi’s—and this show shares a similar world-championship energy. The 32-Grammy-Award-winning Beyoncé is such a tough act to follow, she opens the show herself, with a scaled-back R&B set.
The rest of the two-and-a-half-hour concert—a mix of disco, funk, and electronic music—is divided into six acts, each with its own fashions and special effects. Most of the reported set list is from her latest album Renaissance, with its underlying tribute to her late family member Uncle Jonny, and, by association, the LGBTQ+ community, the ballroom scene, and the Black artists who have been icons and allies to the queer community.
The good news is that, as of press time, there are still tickets for the show, and plenty of hotels to choose from, at a variety of price points. As the Queen herself has said, "Bey is back, and I'm sleepin’ real good at night." You will too when you plan a trip around seeing one of her shows.
The Northern California Show
Levi’s Stadium boasts plenty of Silicon Valley flair, from its solar-power roof to its incredible WiFi, the latter vital for posting your concert pics. It has Bay Area—or perhaps Bey Area—flavor in the concessions too, from the Gilroy-made Silva Sausage, spicy chicken buns from San Francisco’s The Chairman, and slices from local favorite Blue Line Pizza. The stadium has its own art collection and a 49ers Museum where you can see photos and memorabilia from the storied NFL franchise.
Getting There
If you’re driving to Santa Clara, streamline your trip by prebooking your parking spot through the Levi’s Stadium site, or from online resources like Park Whiz, Vivid Seats, or Seat Geek.
It’s easy to take mass transit to the show, whether you go by Caltrain from San Jose and San Francisco, or VTA light rail (Valley Transportation Authority) from around Santa Clara County. The Levi’s Stadium stop serves VTA’s orange, green, and blue lines, which connect to towns such as Mountain View and much of San Jose.
Before you head out, get acquainted with Levi’s Stadium’s bag policy so you know what you can and cannot bring inside. (Need a fun, stadium-friendly clear bag? Check out Travel + Leisure’s favorites.)
Where to Stay Near Levi’s Stadium
When Beyoncé played the Super Bowl in 2016, she reportedly bunked in nearby Los Altos; for a similarly regal vibe, you can spend the night at Enchanté in Los Altos, a boutique hotel modeled after a French chateau and outfitted with antiques. Overall, though, Santa Clara, San Jose, and all of Silicon Valley make a good home base for seeing the show. Levi’s Stadium offers nearby hotel suggestions—such as the Hilton Santa Clara, which is a five-minute walk from the venue and neighbors the California’s Great America theme park. If you’re taking mass transit to the show, consider staying in downtown San Jose, near the Convention Center, or in nearby Japantown, so that you can walk to blue or green line VTA stations. Convenient downtown options include the art deco Hotel De Anza, the Westin San Jose, and the San Jose Marriott.
Beyhive–Style Things to Do Around Santa Clara
If you want to prep for the show by putting a ring on it and boosting your own bling factor, browse the jewelry shops in Grand Century Mall in San Jose’s Little Saigon, or check out Three Sisters in Willow Glen, which has tiaras and unique Bakelite jewelry. While you’re there, pay tribute both to the song “Honey” and Beyoncé’s designer bee costume by picking up some Willow Glen Honey, made by local bees.
Certainly, just watching Beyoncé and her dancers for nearly three hours will make anyone start thinking about where to eat. Beyoncé has reportedly admitted that pizza is her go-to comfort food, and San Jose’s diverse culinary scene is a hotbed for creative pies. Start with the acclaimed Neapolitan pies at Pizza Bocca Lupo in downtown’s San Pedro Square Market, then try the thin-crusted delights at Pizza Antica on Santana Row and head to Evergreen for Indian-style Tasty Pizza, topped with butter chicken.
Bey and husband Jay-Z have embraced a plant-based vegan diet at various points too—a good excuse to check out Good Karma Artisan Ales & Cafe, the San Jose vegan restaurant with pulled “pork” street tacos and a chocolate Mayan pie. You can also easily plan a weekend of meals and shopping in San Jose around these Black-owned businesses, including a wide range of Ethiopian restaurants and spots such as Back A Yard Caribbean and Nirvana Soul Coffee.
To extend the concert into a dance party, head to beloved LGBTQ+ dance club Splash in downtown San Jose, check out the Oakland to All ballroom events around the Bay Area, or plan ahead for San Jose’s Queer Afro Latin Dance Festival, which will be part of Pride festivities in June 2024.
The Southern California Shows
Talk about star power. The illuminated canopy over SoFi Stadium—with its thousands of LED disks—can be seen from planes flying into LAX Airport. Inside the stadium, which seats about 70,000, the giant, oval-shaped infinity screen makes it so that you can see every sparkle on Beyoncé’s bodysuits, even if you’re up in the high seats. The spacious venue is user-friendly as well, with so many culinary kiosks that you won’t have to wait long for snacks (concession stands are named after different regions of Los Angeles, such as the burgers at Fairfax and the pan-Asian Century Rolls at Sawtelle).
Getting There
Parking by SoFi is pretty simple when you use Park Whiz to prebook a parking spot in and around the stadium; most are within a 15-minute walk of the stadium (on concert evenings, the area basically becomes a pedestrian mall of fans with excellent fashion-watching). Or take advantage of the Los Angeles mass transit system, by taking the Metro’s green C Line to the Hawthorne/Lennox Station stop near SoFi. Along with classic rideshares to the stadium, you can also opt for a Rally luxury rideshare bus, with easy pickup spots all over the county.
Check out SoFi’s policies page for details on what size bags are allowed in the stadium. And if you need to upgrade, stop by Hammitt in Manhattan Beach for its line of chic clear bags.
Where to Stay Near SoFi
SoFi’s community of Inglewood is close to many areas that offer a wide range of hotels, such as Downtown Los Angeles, Marina del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Torrance. LAX Airport is nearby too, with many affordable options. The Marina del Rey hotels page and the Redondo Beach hotels page both make it simple to check availability at local options, from The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey to the Hilton Garden Inn, Redondo Beach. Ten miles from SoFi, Torrance is home to several affordable chains as well as the boutique Bluestem Hotel.
Beyhive–Style Things to Do in Los Angeles County
While Beyoncé and her family have lived for several years in Bel Air, they recently added Malibu to their Los Angeles home turf, acquiring a 40,000-square foot mansion (the most expensive in California history) that overlooks a private beach. To feel like a Malibu local, browse the shops at the Malibu Country Mart and Malibu Lumber Yard, stopping for a “Billion Dollar” smoothie at SunLife Organics. Beyoncé has also been known to favor Los Angeles restaurants such as Felix in Venice Beach (hear about it in this California Now Podcast episode) and the Rome-inspired cuisine at Mother Wolf in Hollywood.
To get in the spirit of the show, head to Hollywood’s Sycamore Avenue, where you can pick up an “Alien Superstar”-worthy concert outfit at designer boutique Just One Eye, then browse the records at Supervinyl, the store where Bey signed copies of Renaissance in late 2022. If you’d rather go casual to the concert, go to Culver City to shop the gender-free fashions at Black-owned Stuzo Clothing. To explore L.A.’s ballroom and LGBTQ+ dance scenes, check dates for Banjee Ball and Hood Rave, two buzzy parties thrown in different locations around L.A.
Ready for more musical or diva-themed getaways? Plan around 2023’s don’t-miss music festivals in California or take this Shopping Spree road trip, with its stops in Beverly Hills and Palm Desert.