If you’re working out how to get from new york to xfinity mobile arena for the big 5 classic, the trip is simpler than it looks on paper. The Big 5 Classic is played at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, and the Philly Bus route from New York gets you into the city.
The part that takes planning is timing, because the day’s start times aren’t published yet.
This guide covers the New York to Philadelphia leg: which departure to pick, where the bus stops, how long the ride takes, and how to plan the way home after a multi-game day. It is written to be reused every year, so the date sits in its own section.
We don’t sell game tickets and we don’t list ticket prices or availability. For tickets, matchups, and arena rules, use the official Big 5 and arena pages. What follows is only the bus side of the plan, using what Philly Bus publishes.
If you are an alum, a parent, or a fan living in New York, the question is the same for all of you: which bus gets me there with margin, and what happens if the day runs long? Both answers are below.
How to Get From New York to Xfinity Mobile Arena for the Big 5 Classic: The Date and the Venue
The men’s Big 5 Classic is a three-game day on Saturday, December 5, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. It brings together six Philadelphia colleges, which makes it a natural trip for alumni and families living in New York.
The matchups and tip-off times had not been published when this page was written, so this guide does not list them. Check the official Big 5 schedule once the times are out, and build your bus plan from the first game you want to see.
This is an annual event, so the bus logic below carries over from year to year. If the date or the venue changes in a later season, the official Big 5 page is the place to confirm it before you book anything.
The same arena hosts other winter games. If you want to see how the timing works for a regular night at the venue, our guide to the bus ride from New York to a 76ers vs Knicks game walks through the same arena.
Choosing the Outbound Bus for the Big 5 Classic
Philly Bus runs the New York to Philadelphia route more than 70 times a week, with five standard departure times: 9AM, 12PM, 3PM, 5PM, and 7PM. The 7PM run only operates on some days, so the booking page is where you confirm what runs on December 5.
The company’s own estimate for the ride is about 2 hours. That is an estimate, not a guaranteed time, and a game day with crowds in the city is a poor day to cut it close.
On that estimate, a 9AM departure arrives around 11:00 AM, a 12PM departure around 2:00 PM, a 3PM departure around 5:00 PM, and a 5PM departure around 7:00 PM. Use those numbers as a rough guide only, then add time for the local trip to the arena.
Because the tip-off times are not out, wait for the official schedule before you pick. When you do, work backward from the first game you want to see, and leave a buffer that covers the ride, the walk from the stop, and the lines at the arena.
If you are coming for the whole day, a morning departure is the safer choice. If you are coming for the last game, an afternoon departure may fit, but only once the official start time is known.
The New York pickup point is 2 Pike Street, New York, NY 10002, by the Citi Bike lane. The Philadelphia pickup point is 1001 Filbert St, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Put both into your maps app before the day, so you are not searching at the curb.
Arrive at the pickup point 20 minutes before departure. Seating is first come, first served, with no assigned seats and no saving of seats, so friends traveling together should arrive together. Our guide on how early to arrive for the bus between New York and Philadelphia explains the buffer.
The bus covers the intercity leg only, between those two pickup addresses. Getting from 1001 Filbert St to Xfinity Mobile Arena is a separate local leg. We don’t publish local transit routes or times, so use the arena’s official visitor page for that part.
The Ride Home After a Big 5 Classic Day
Plan the return first. A three-game day is long, and the finish time depends on how the games run, which nobody can know in advance. The last standard Philly Bus departure of the day is 7PM, and that run only operates on some days.
That means a late finish may not line up with any published departure. Open the booking page for your return date and look at what it actually lists. If it shows no departure after the games, assume there is none.
There are three realistic choices. Stay overnight in Philadelphia and look at the booking page for a Sunday departure. Treat the trip as one-way and book the return for another day. Or leave early, before the last game ends, and accept that you will miss the finish.
A fourth option is to arrange another way home for the late hours and use the bus for the part you can plan. We don’t publish information about other transport, so check each provider’s own page and its Saturday-night hours.
Our guide on catching the last bus back after a night game goes through the timing logic in more detail, and it applies to any event that can run past the final departure.
If Plans Change: Rescheduling and Ticket Terms
The key rule for a game-day rider is that tickets are unrestricted: if you miss your bus, you can reschedule your trip for any time within one year of the ticket purchase date. Know this before the day, when a delay can push you past a departure.
It is a reschedule, not a refund. The ticket terms say the ticket is not refundable. Refunds apply only when the company cancels a trip, for reasons such as weather, traffic, or safety, in which case affected passengers are refunded their purchase price.
Our guide on what happens if you miss your bus from NYC to Philadelphia lays out the two cases side by side. Keep them separate in your head: missing the bus means rescheduling, and a company cancellation means a refund.
Who Should Take an Early Bus to the Big 5 Classic
An early bus suits anyone who wants the whole day. With three games on the card, arriving before the first tip-off means you are settled, you know where the arena entrance is, and you are not racing the clock after a delay on the road.
A later bus suits someone who only wants one game and has confirmed its start time on the official schedule. Even then, count back from tip-off using the 2-hour estimate plus the local leg, and leave extra time because it is a busy Saturday.
Families traveling with children should check the ticket categories on the booking page, since fares are split into adult, child aged 3 to 6, and infant under 3. We don’t list fares here, so the booking page is the place to see them.
Whatever you choose, book with the return in mind. A bus that gets you there early but leaves you without a way home is not a good plan, and the booking page shows what actually runs on December 5 and the days around it.
Game Day Checklist for the Big 5 Classic Trip
Check the booking page for December 5 and your return day before you commit. Remember that the 7PM run is only available on some days, and the page shows the real schedule for the date you pick.
You can bring food and non-alcoholic drinks on the bus, but alcohol is never allowed. Smoking and vaping are prohibited on the bus and within 50 feet of it, which is worth remembering when people gather before boarding.
Philly Bus states it is not responsible for lost personal items or luggage, so keep your phone, wallet, and game tickets on you. If something is left behind, email [email protected], since found items are kept for up to 14 days.
Pets are not allowed in the cabin, though service animals are always allowed. If you need wheelchair assistance or other special help, Philly Bus asks you to call at least 48 hours before travel, so do not leave that for game day.
If the published material does not answer a question, contact customer service at +1(800)879-8775 or [email protected]. Ask the exact question, such as which departures run on your date, and write down the answer with the day you got it.
Plan the Day Around the First Tip-Off
Once you know the times, how to get from new york to xfinity mobile arena for the big 5 classic comes down to three choices: a departure with margin on the way in, a clear plan for the way out, and a booking you can move if the day changes.
Pick a morning or midday run if you are coming for the full day, and decide ahead of time whether you are staying overnight. If your plans shift, the one-year reschedule rule means a long day does not also mean a wasted ticket.
The Big 5 Classic is a good reason to make the trip, and the bus is the simple part once you have checked the times. Open the booking page, look at December 5, and build the rest of the day around it.
Ready to plan your trip? Check current departure times and book your New York to Philadelphia bus before you lock in your game day plans.