In what could become a new Spring Training tradition, Major League Baseball and MLB Network are preparing for the first annual Innings Festival, a weekend music festival that will run at the Tempe (Ariz.) Beach Park & Arts Park during the final weekend of Cactus League play, March 23-25.
Among the headlining artists expected to appear include Chris Stapleton, Queens of the Stone Age, the Avett Brothers, Counting Crows, Young the Giant, The Head and the Heart, Dispatch, Cold War Kids and many more, for a total of 36. A full lineup can be found at inningsfestival.com/lineup. Tickets can be purchased at inningsfestival.com/tickets.
• Enter the Innings Festival VIP sweepstakes
The hope is that the inaugural Innings Festival unites fans of baseball, music and food. In addition to the three-stage music event, there will be curated food vendors, family activities and appearances by big leaguers.
"The best part about going to a baseball game is the fans," Stapleton said in an interview before performing at Citi Field in 2015. "You get a real sense of the town that you're in and the culture of the people depending how the fans act against the other team. It's just a wonderful experience if you're interested in people and people watching. There's no better place to be."
In conjunction with MLB Network, the Innings Festival will feature an Artist Feature sweepstakes that fans can enter with the chance to win an all-inclusive package to the event. Among the perks include:
• Two VIP three-day tickets to Innings Festival
• Two round-trip tickets in and out of Phoenix
• Three-night stay at a Tempe hotel
• One Stapleton-signed Louisville Slugger bat
• Premium viewing for Stapleton's set on March 25
• Two tickets to Rockies vs. Cubs Cactus League game on March 24, along with a VIP batting practice experience
• Meet-and-greet with MLB Network analyst and former Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster
• Two caps and two jerseys of favorite MLB club
• Potential meet-and-greet with Stapleton