The Tampa Bay Rays announced new food and beverage partners, promotional items, special ticket packages, new technology experiences, and cultural and identity game dates for the upcoming 2024 season, presented by Orlando Health.

For the first time at Tropicana Field, fans will see a striped field. The turf will resemble a mowed grass field. Rubber pellets are being substituted for coconut husks in the turf's backfill. The warning track will remain identical, but Safeshell—crushed walnut shells—will be placed throughout. The Tampa Bay Rays are the only MLB team utilizing the Safeshell product.

The Rays donated 75,000 square feet of old turf to the City of St. Petersburg, Hillsborough County and other local groups to be used for soccer fields, batting cages and more. This two-fold benefit will reduce the amount of wasted turf and will be cost-saving for organizations in the area.

Additional upgrades at Tropicana Field included the removal and repair of the cupola. GMF Steel and Quality Roofing assisted in repairing the cupola on the top exterior of the Tropicana Field dome. Due to the age of the ballpark, the original documents were handwritten, causing the team to have to handcraft the raw materials onsite. The existing structure was flown by helicopter and had to be restored by removing decades' worth of built-up paint and rust.

To access video of the cupola, turf removal and interviews from Chris Wolfe, Athletics Supervisor of the City of St. Petersburg Parks & Recreation Department and Rick Valdez, Director of the Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation Department, visit bit.ly/TropField_NEW**.

A Concert Series will be held at Tropicana Field this season, including three concerts of various genres for all fans to stay and enjoy after the game. After the Rays face the Cincinnati Reds on July 26, alternative rock band Jimmy Eat World will perform. Both country music and hip-hop/R&B fans will have something to enjoy in August, as Riley Green will take the field after the Baltimore Orioles game on Aug. 10, and Florida-native T-Pain will perform after the Arizona Diamondbacks game on Aug. 16. To view ticket and wristband prices, visit RaysBaseball.com.

Fans will notice a new, interactive feature on the field level near Gate 6 at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays are the first team in MLB with Bat Around, a batting cage where fans can test their hitting skills in a mixed reality experience. As players progress through the three stages of the arcade game, a new LED video board will display the scores, and a HitTrax camera will be installed to monitor the ball's trajectory off the tee. Each player should expect to play for roughly 90 seconds.

Tropicana Field's concessions have routinely been a top-five ranked program in Major League Baseball in every category, including but not limited to: food quality, service quality, speed of service and diversity of products. This year, the Rays are extending everyone's access to league-leading, award-winning concessions with a new “Gluten-Free Favorites” stand offering wheatless versions of ballpark favorites, such as chicken tenders, french fries, hot dogs and Smash Burgers. Beyond this addition, “bold & gold” labels will be on updated food menus to clearly alert fans with dietary restrictions of which foods are Gluten-Friendly (GF), Vegetarian (VEG) and Vegan (V). There will also be an easy-to-navigate allergen grid in the MLB Ballpark App.

A few of the Rays new food partnerships to look forward to this year will include:

• A new dessert partner arriving at Tropicana Field this season is Cookie Fueled Mama, which will now have a location in each food hall.
• Culver’s will be introducing a fun, new promotion at Rays games. If the Tampa Bay Rays score a run in the third inning, fans can claim their FREE Culver’s Wisconsin Cheese Curds by using a promo code when they order on the Culver’s mobile app.
• "Twisted," a new pretzel-themed concession booth, will now be on the Budweiser Porch due to the popularity of the housemade footlong pretzel dog from the 2023 season.
• Chicken Salad Chick will now have a dedicated concession stand in the ballpark.
• Pacific Counter is returning for its sixth season offering its signature poke bowls and the Rays Up Roll, only available at Tropicana Field.
• Bird & Batter Express will be offering quality food at its most convenient in Right Field Street. Stop by to grab a Southern Bird chicken sandwich, chicken tenders or fries.

Additionally, the Rays are introducing new beverage partners this season:

• Viva Tequila Seltzer, the official hard seltzer of the team and the title partner of the new Viva Victory Ledge, formerly the Left Field Ledge
• Daiquiri Deck, the title partner of The Daiquiri Deck, formerly the Center Field Deck
• Vino Ghivino 21, a new wine partner of the Rays
• Superbird Tequila, a new tequila partner of the Rays
• New Belgium, a new craft beer partner of the Rays

Some new food items that will be featured at Tropicana Field this season include:

• Short Rib Cheesesteak (Braised short rib/caramelized onions/cheese sauce/peppadew pepper relish) available at Melted
• Short Rib Nachos (Braised short rib/jack cheese sauce/scallions/house-fried potato chips/peppadew peppers) available at Melted
• The Pretzel Dog (Footlong, half pound Nathan’s Hot Dog wrapped in a Bavarian pretzel, topped with sea salt) available at Twisted
• Korean Corn Dog (All-beef hot dog/fontina cheese/potato crunch/spicy mayo) available at Pig & Potato
• Pretzel Pork Reuben (Slow-smoked pork pastrami/soft pretzel bun/house sauerkraut/mustard sauce) available at Pig & Potato
• Smash Burger (Angus beef blend/Iceberg lettuce/Roma tomato/Burst sauce and available with gluten-free buns) available at Central Burger/Gluten-Free Favorites
• Everything Pretzel Bites (Garlic butter/parmesan/fresh herbs/pepper jack cheese sauce) available at Twisted
• Sweet Pretzel Bites (Cinnamon sugar/vanilla glaze/caramel dipping sauce) available at Twisted
• Southern Bird Fried Chicken (Crispy fried chicken/arugula/dill pickle spread/tomato jam) available at Modern Bird/Bird & Batter Express
• GF Chicken Tender Basket (Gluten-free (cornmeal-breaded) chicken tenders with crispy-skin fries) available at Gluten-Free Favorites/Bird & Batter Express/Modern Bird

This season, Tropicana Field will be introducing the "Top Chef Experience" on premium menus. The chefs at Levy Restaurants won "Best Food in St. Pete" in the most recent Tampa Bay Food Fight, benefiting Metropolitan Ministries. The money raised will help fund the culinary arts program housed at Tropicana Field.

The Short Stop at the Budweiser Porch claimed the top spot for the highest-grossing store in the Sports & Entertainment category of all locations using Zippin technology. Zippin is an AI-based customer service software that provides patrons with a checkout-free experience within the ballpark.

The Rays are also expanding Ballpark app experiences this season, starting with closed captioning. This feature has been available in the Ballpark app for select games in the past, but all home games will now be closed captioning accessible. Additionally, during the game, fans will now be able to guess the winner of the mascot race. If fans choose correctly, they will win a prize.

Visits to the Rays radio booth and access to The Baldwin Group Club, formerly the AeroVanti Club, are returning favorites and are available for purchase through the Ballpark app marketplace. Additionally, the Rays are including batting practice field passes for purchase and plan to add more experiences throughout the season.

This season, the Rays expanded its ticket packages and heritage celebrations, and now have more than 40 of them. There is something for everyone, from Pickleball to Harry Potter, to Dominican and Greek Heritage Days – just to name a few. These special ticket packages come with a unique themed item, as well as pregame food and beverage specials in Ballpark & Rec.

College night ticket packages will return for the 2024 season, as well as discounted ticket pricing for students. For a full list of college nights and for more information, visit RaysBaseball.com/TicketPackages.

For every Friday home game, fans can purchase tickets for Randy Land in sections 141 or 143 starting at $56. Tickets include a Randy T-shirt. Additionally, if Randy hits a home run during the game, fans in Randy Land receive a free beverage. To purchase tickets in Randy Land, visit RaysBaseball.com/RandyLand.

Rays Ballpark Passes are $49 a month or $249 for the season and provide standing room only (SRO) access for all 2024 home games. Passes went on sale Wednesday, March 13 with only a limited number available for purchase.

The Rays will also feature new retail items this season including:

• Terez – dresses out of New York City’s West Village for the fashionista in your life
• wEAr by Erin Andrews – women’s clothing to wear anywhere
• Onward Reserve – casual “lifestyle” polos that are products of close collaboration with our retail team
• Darius Rucker – everyday wear clothing line for the fan who never takes a day off
• Margaritaville – items for beach parties, sweet dreams and everything in between

Photos and videos of promotional items, food and beverage items, and content related to the upgrades at Tropicana Field will be available later today at bit.ly/RaysMediaDay24**.