Tens and thousands of basketball fans will descend on the Bay Area for the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star games throughout this weekend, bringing in the best players in the sport.
With so many visitors and commuters expected, Bay Area Rapid Transport (BART) said they are expecting trains to get a lot more busy.
Anna Duckworth, a spokesperson for BART, said that despite the crowd, riders this weekend will "have a great experience."
"When riders come to BART if they take it for All-Star weekend, they are going to see clean stations, they're going to see our new train cars." Duckworth said.
The agency said they'll be using their longer eight-car trains to accommodate for what they expect to be a lot more riders this Friday through Sunday. They will also have extra trains on hand if needed.
The BART Police Department is also partnering with the Oakland Police Department, San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco Department of Emergency management to make sure those riders feel safe.
Overall crime on BART decreased by 17 percent last year and ridership rebounded with 2.6 million more trips than 2023.
"We do plan to have extra staffing; we do plan to have extra security. Of course, we will have the physical presence on trains and in our stations of our officers, ambassadors, and crisis intervention specialists. So that is all part of the effort to make sure everyone has a good time and that everyone is safe." Duckworth said.
BART announced the installation of new, more secure fare gates at all downtown San Francisco stations on Monday, just in time for the big weekend.
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While the agency is bracing for a big boost in rides, they hope that visitors will do their part by leaving their cars behind and taking public transit to the events. Oakland and San Francisco visitor bureaus are encouraging people to do the same.
San Francisco is expecting 200,000 visitors -- ranging from players to celebrities and fans for the weekend's concerts, events and the All-Star Game.
Visit Oakland expects tens of thousands of those visitors will also be headed to the city, housing over a dozen additional events in Oakland, including the Celebrity All-Star Game on Friday and HBCU Classic on Saturday in Oakland Arena.
"People are not only coming to the events. They're staying here and they're eating here, which is an economic drive to the town," Peter Gamez, the CEO of Visit Oakland said.
Gamez said many of the hotels are already sold out for the weekend and believes the All-Star events are a great chance to invite even more people to visit the Bay Area.
"This is our dress rehearsal. It's NBA All-Star, but then we also have Super Bowl coming next year as well as the World Cup. These events are going to be national and international stages that Oakland and the town will be visible in, and we are so excited about it," Gamez said.
Visit Oakland and BART have both posted visitor guides for All-Star weekend on their websites.
