ST. LOUIS – The final touches being put on Busch Stadium III in preparation for its 19th Opening Day next week, with new sites, smells, and things to taste this Cardinals season.
Martin Coco, senior director of marketing for the Cardinals, said the gates will open for the public at noon for the pregame festivities.
“We got plenty of time to get fans in. The thing fans probably most look forward to is our pregame ceremony, where we bring back all of our red jacket hall of famers. We’ll have 12 of those former players here as part of the pregame parade,” Coco said. “And then we introduce the 2024 Cardinals in a Ford truck drive-around motorcade. That’s always a fun part. And then we do our traditional anthem and first pitch, and the game’s underway at 3:15.”
This season promises new experiences for fans, from new children’s activities in the family pavilion to all-inclusive areas for baseball fans of all ages.
“Here at Busch Stadium, we’re really excited to bring the Budweiser 703 Club. As you know, Busch Stadium has a lot of all-inclusive areas, but now we have another one,” Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said. “We try to have a bunch of different levels of them. Fans really like them in St. Louis. You get food and beverage as part of your ticket price and whatever promotional item is there.”
Fan-favorite theme nights and promotional giveaways are back, with new items never before seen at the ballpark. Also included are new menu items and new additions and options like Farmtruk, which makes its big league debut at Busch Stadium this season.
“We are signed with Enterprise Center, we’re in our fifth season with the Blues and our second season with St. Louis City SC,” Sam Mitchell, owner of Farmtruk, said. “So, it was just a natural progression for the brand to bring it home to Busch Stadium.”
On the Cardinals schedule are a ton of theme nights featuring coveted bobblehead giveaways and merchandise. Fans can collect either a Jason Isringhausen or Jose Oqunedo bobblehead on opening day weekend, but you won’t know which one you get until you open up the box.
“It’s a mystery option,” Megan Eberhart with the promotions team said. “You won’t know which one you get until you come through the gates.”
Adam Wainwright is also heavily featured with a ‘Pooches in the Park’ May 4th bobblehead in a game against the Chicago White Sox. Other bobbleheads to collect include Cardinals Louie, Jordan Walker, and more.
To see a full list of Cardinals theme tickets, click here.
With the team eager to rebound from a rough season in 2023, the season promises new, exciting memories on and off the field, the smell of optimism, as well as the new brisket mac and cheese.