# Going to a Concert at the Philippine Arena: Getting There and Back Canonical page: https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/philippine-arena-concert-guide Source: What's On Manila. Please cite and link the canonical page. Published: 2026-10-17 *No train reaches the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. How to get there and home by shuttle or car, which NLEX exit to use, what to bring, and where to fly in and stay from Cebu or Davao.* The [Philippine Arena](https://whatsonmnl.com/venue/philippine-arena) is in Ciudad de Victoria, Bulacan, north of Metro Manila along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), and none of Metro Manila's train lines go there. You get there by road: a shuttle booked in advance, your own car through the NLEX Ciudad de Victoria exit, or a hired car that waits for you. For an evening show, leave Metro Manila in the early afternoon, and sort out your ride home before the day. Getting out after the last song is the slowest part of the night. Updated October 2026. The next big concerts here are [LANY](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/lany-soft-world-tour-philippine-arena-2026) on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, and [My Chemical Romance](https://whatsonmnl.com/event/my-chemical-romance-southeast-asia-tour-bulacan-2026) on Saturday 14 November. Everything below applies to both, and to anything else you are heading up for. ## Getting there without a car **Concert shuttles.** For most people without a car, a shuttle is the easiest way to get there and back. They run on show days only, they are usually round trips, and you book them ahead. Two kinds run to this arena. The first is the promoter's own shuttle. PULP Live World, which is bringing My Chemical Romance, has sold shuttle passes for the show through PULP Tickets. If your promoter sells a shuttle, buy it the same day you buy your concert ticket, because seats are limited. The second is a private shuttle company. TwoTeenTours, a concert shuttle service that started in December 2022 and normally runs to Philippine Arena shows, lists active shuttles for both LANY nights and for My Chemical Romance on its website. It does all its passenger communication on Telegram, so you will need the app to book and travel with them. _Booking:_ TwoTeenTours at tttridem.com. Promoter shuttles through the promoter's ticketing site. Only book shuttles from the promoter or a company with its own website and terms, and be careful with sellers who only exist in comment threads. **Grab or a hired car.** Getting there by Grab is possible. Getting home by Grab is the risky part, because tens of thousands of people leave at the same moment and you are a long way from the city. If you go this way, book a car and driver that stays for the night and agree on a meeting point before you go in. **Bus.** We could not find a published bus service that drops at the arena gates on concert nights, so we are not recommending one here. ## Driving there Take NLEX north and leave at the **Ciudad de Victoria exit**. Before BLACKPINK's two nights here in November 2025, which ran from 12pm to 10pm, NLEX Corporation warned of heavy traffic in the area during the event, told concertgoers to use the Ciudad de Victoria exit, and told other drivers heading for Bocaue or Santa Maria to use the Marilao, Bocaue or Tambubong exits instead. It gave the same exit advice for a large Iglesia ni Cristo event at the arena in January 2025. Expect something similar on LANY and My Chemical Romance days, and check NLEX's social pages that week. You need an **Easytrip RFID** sticker with enough load. The Toll Regulatory Board says Easytrip is the system used on NLEX, SCTEX, CAVITEX and CALAX. An Autosweep sticker on its own will not get you through NLEX. Top up the day before. _Parking:_ The arena does not publish a parking guide online that we could find, so we have left out lot names and fees. Arrive early, note where you parked, and when you can, park close to the exit road rather than close to the building. That way you are not stuck behind every other car when you leave. ## When to leave and when to arrive There is no published rule for this, so here is our planning advice. For an 8pm show on a Saturday, aim to be on NLEX by early afternoon. The road builds through the afternoon on big concert days, queues at the gates for an arena this size are long, and you will want time to find food, the toilets and your seat before the lights go down. If your show has a published gate time, plan to arrive before it. For the ride home, expect to wait. Shuttles leave once their passengers are back on board, and cars leave the parking areas slowly after a full show. Bring patience, a charged phone and a snack for the trip back. ## What to bring **ID that matches your ticket.** For tickets bought online through SM Tickets, which sells LANY, your SM Tickets account, the credit card you paid with and one valid government ID must all be in the same name. Only the cardholder can claim the tickets, and nobody else can claim them for you. **A small bag.** Bag, camera and age rules here are set by each show, not by the arena, and are posted on the event's ticketing page. Check them in the week before, then pack light: phone, power bank, ID, tickets, some cash, and a light jacket for the air conditioning. **Food in your stomach.** The arena sits in a large complex outside the city. Eat before you leave Metro Manila or on the way, and do not plan your evening around finding a full meal on site. **Comfortable shoes.** Whichever way you arrive, there is a lot of walking between the parking areas, the doors and your seat. ## Flying in from Cebu or Davao If you are flying in for the show, you have two airports to choose from. Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila is the usual one. The other is **Clark International Airport** in Pampanga, which is north of the arena rather than south of it. Clark's own flight list, dated 17 October 2026, shows Cebu Pacific flying Clark to Cebu and Clark to Davao, and Philippine Airlines flying between Cebu and Clark. Not every flight runs every day, so check the day you need with the airline before you book. If you would rather see LANY at home, SM Tickets also lists LANY at SM Seaside Cebu Arena on 6 and 12 November. Whichever airport you use, do not plan to land and go straight to the show. Fly in the day before, or at least early on the morning of the concert. The same goes for the trip home: a morning flight the day after a show is far kinder than a flight on the same night. ## Where to stay There is no big cluster of hotels next to the arena, so most people coming from outside Manila stay in the north of the city, which is on the NLEX side of Metro Manila. **Seda Vertis North** is a hotel steps from Ayala Malls Vertis North and TriNoma in Quezon City. The hotel says it is within easy reach of both NAIA and Clark, which makes it a sensible base if you are not sure which airport you will use. From there you can join NLEX without crossing the whole city. _Address:_ Sola corner Lux Drives, Vertis North, Quezon City. If your shuttle leaves from somewhere else, pick a hotel near that pick-up point instead, so the early start is a short walk rather than another car ride. ## Questions people ask **Can I take the train to the Philippine Arena?** No. None of Metro Manila's train lines reach the arena. Plan on a shuttle, a car or a hired driver. **Which NLEX exit is closest to the Philippine Arena?** The Ciudad de Victoria exit. NLEX Corporation has told people going to big events at the arena to use it. **Do I need an RFID sticker to drive there?** Yes, you need an Easytrip RFID with enough load, because Easytrip is the system NLEX uses. Autosweep on its own will not work on NLEX. **How early should I leave Manila?** For an evening show, aim to be on NLEX by early afternoon. Traffic around the arena builds through the afternoon on big concert days. **Is it easy to get a Grab home after the show?** Not reliably. You are far from the city and everyone leaves at once. A shuttle or a hired car that waits for you is the safer plan. **What should I do if I am flying in from Cebu or Davao?** Fly in the day before. Clark International Airport has flights from both cities and is north of the arena, while NAIA is in Manila. Stay in the north of the city if you want an easier trip to NLEX on the day. Planning more of the season? See our list of [concerts in Manila for the rest of 2026](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/concerts-in-manila-end-of-2026), and if you land in Clark with a spare afternoon, our [Pampanga food trip](https://whatsonmnl.com/blog/pampanga-food-trip) is close by.