Fourth annual Tribe Fest to be held on Jan. 30
CLEVELAND -- A sure sign that Spring Training is approaching fast is the yearly arrival of the Indians' Tribe Fest in January. Fans flock downtown for a chance to meet players, coaches and team alumni, providing some warm thoughts of baseball as snow usually blankets the city.
On Friday, the Indians unveiled their plans for the fourth annual Tribe Fest, which will be a one-day event this winter on Jan. 30 at Aloft Cleveland Downtown hotel in the Flats East Bank neighborhood. Due to ongoing renovations at Progressive Field, the team had to find an alternate location for the popular event.
This offseason's installment is expected to feature Corey Kluber, Jason Kipnis, Yan Gomes, Francisco Lindor, Lonnie Chisenhall, Bryan Shaw, Cody Anderson, Jeff Manship, Zach McAllister, Abraham Almonte, Jose Ramirez and Giovanny Urshela, among other players.
The Indians will announce additional guests -- including players, coaches, alumni and executives -- as they are confirmed in the weeks leading up to the event.
Tribe Fest will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on Jan. 30, with general admission tickets costing $5 for adults and children. Tickets are available online only at Indians.com/TribeFest, beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday. The Indians are encouraging fans to obtain tickets as soon as possible, once available, due to space restrictions and the one-day nature of this event.
At Progressive Field, the second phase of the renovation project for the Tribe's home ballpark is underway. The organization is working to extend last year's upgrades to center and right field throughout the main concourse while also constructing a new club located behind home plate. The work at the stadium made hosting Tribe Fest there problematic this time around.
Autograph sessions at the event can be guaranteed for fans by purchasing an autograph ticket bundled at the same time with general admission tickets. There will be multiple hour-long time windows throughout the day to help accommodate fans hoping to get signatures from the Tribe's players. Fans can purchase $20 tickets for Indians alumni player sessions and $25 tickets for Major League roster player sessions.
Cleveland will offer 130 tickets (a maximum of four per autograph session per transaction) for each autograph session that will guarantee space in line, but not specific players or alumni. If the sessions are not sold out, fans will then be permitted to wait in line for autographs on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Parking will be available in multiple surface lots in the Flats East Bank neighborhood, in a garage adjacent to Aloft and via valet outside the hotel. The RTA's waterfront line also serves the Flats East Bank and will be open on Jan. 30.
A variety of players will also be taking part in a celebrity bartending session at Aloft's WKYX Lounge, giving fans 21 and older a unique chance to interact with them. Those sessions will run from 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Tickets for those events costs $15 in addition to the general admission ticket and are required for entry. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Cleveland Indians Charities.
The Indians will also offer a mix of activities for young fans attending Tribe Fest this year. There will be face painters, caricature artists, temporary tattoo artists, inflatables and visits from the team's mascots, Slider and the Hot Dogs.