Dodgers stadium

MLB AND DODGERS TO DELIVER ALL-STAR EXPERIENCE

Two years later than planned, Dodger Stadium will finally host its first Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game in over four decades next month, with extensive fan experience activities to run across five days.

MLB awarded the Los Angeles Dodgers the hosting rights to the 2020 All-Star Game, but was forced to cancel these plans due to COVID-19.

However, the wait is over, and the 2022 All-Star Game will mark the fourth time in franchise history that the Dodgers have staged the Midsummer Classic, including the third time in Los Angeles and the second at Dodger Stadium, which last held the event in 1980.

Trio of locations

MLB and the Dodgers are planning a series of fan events running from July 15 through to the All-Star Game itself on July 19. These will be concentrated in three iconic locations in Los Angeles – Dodger Stadium, L.A. Live, and Santa Monica Pier & Beach.

Proceedings will commence with a first in the form of All-Star Oceanfront, running from July 15-17 at Santa Monica Pier & Beach. With no admission charge, All-Star Week’s first-ever beach event will feature casual and instructional youth baseball and softball activities on the beach, directly south of the pier.

In addition to baseball and softball, the SoCal sand will also be home to a daily All-Star Yoga class. On the pier deck above, fans will be able to shop for official All-Star merchandise, participate in batting and pitching cages, and play interactive games and promotions in what has been dubbed a “baseball-themed carnival-like setting”.

On Saturday, July 16, MLB will also partner on a beach clean-up in Santa Monica with Heal the Bay, a local non-profit dedicated to making the coastal waters and watersheds in Greater Los Angeles safe, healthy, and clean.

Baseball and softball festival

L.A. Live will be the centre of proceedings from July 16-19 with MLB Live in DTLA. Events will get underway on July 16 with Play Ball Park – what MLB describes as the world’s “biggest and most playable” baseball and softball festival.

Held inside and outside the Los Angeles Convention Center and throughout the L.A. Live campus, this fan-focused event blends together baseball, softball, music, food, technology and fashion with MLB celebrities ranging from Hall of Famers, All-Stars, Olympians, broadcasters and other legends of the game.

Interactive games, clinics, exhibits, exclusive merchandise and autograph stations will be spread throughout the Convention Center, while other unique fan experiences will be available outdoors around L.A. Live.

From Saturday to Tuesday of All-Star Week at MLB Live in DTLA, the MLB All-Star Block Party will add a new offering to the free fan festivities. On Gilbert Lindsay Plaza, on the doorstep of the Los Angeles Convention Center, this free event will provide even more interactive games, free giveaways, music, a beer garden and other activities.

Draft focus

The 2022 MLB Draft will also take place at MLB Live in DTLA, offering a focal point for baseball fans in attendance and across the country and beyond.

The Draft will culminate with the All-Star Red Carpet Show on July 19 where fans can see the 2022 All-Stars and their families showcase their style on a classic Hollywood Red Carpet. Wrapping around from Xbox Plaza onto Chick Hearn Court, the Red Carpet will lead players through a crowd of fans and media prior to going to Dodger Stadium.

Dodger Stadium’s role will commence in earnest on July 16 with the first-ever All-Star Saturday, and global superstar and Inglewood native Becky G will take to the stage for the All-Star Saturday Extra Innings concert.

Becky G’s performance will wrap up a day of events at Dodger Stadium for All-Star Saturday, following the All-Star Futures Game and the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game. All three events are included with the purchase of an All-Star Saturday ticket, with organisers ensuring there are offerings across the week for a wide audience.

The Home Run Derby headlines All-Star Workout Day on July 18 before attention turns to the main event: The 92nd Midsummer Classic. It will be the 13th to be played in California – the most of any US state – but with the All-Star Week plans likely to have stoked up the excitement to unprecedented levels, it may be the most memorable yet.


 

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