We've all been "patiently" awaiting information about Padres FanFest. With all that's been going on with the team and the ballpark, it's safe to say this year's FanFest may be the most anticipated in years. Just last week, many of us on Twitter were projecting the possibility of a combined Valentine's Day / GLB 10th Anniversary / FanFest weekend on February 14th, but we soon learned that the Padres were pushing back the date of FanFest in order to accomodate construction at Petco Park.
Well today the Padres announced the OFFICIAL date of FanFest: April 4th. So for all the out-of-town GLBers and Padres fans, you have a few more weeks to plan trips to sunny SD for the event. Maybe this will even coincide with some Spring Breaks for those who are in school (or have kids in school). FanFest will be free to the public, like always, but this year online pre-registration for the event is required to gain entry, so make sure to get on that early so you don't forget. Parking will also be free this year. The event will open at 9 a.m., unless you're a season ticket holder, in which case you will be able to get in an hour earlier.
Now this FanFest is going to be different from those of the past. Obviously the date is a change, as it will be following Spring Training rather than preceding it. It'll be much, much closer to Opening Day, which means we'll have a better idea of what our OD lineup will look like at FanFest. This also means there's a possibility of a lot more players being able to make appearances.
Secondly, there will be an exhibition game the day of FanFest at Petco Park. The Red Devils will take the field to face the Padres at 2:00 in the afternoon.
SAVE THE DATE: #PadresFanFest will be on 4/4 & feature an exhibition game w/ @DiablosRojosMXhttp://t.co/rLh1wCgCEfpic.twitter.com/irh0xboimW
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) January 12, 2015The exhibition against the Red Devils will be the Padres' first vs. a Mexican League opponent since 1981, and the first in the U.S.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) January 12, 2015That aforementioned pre-registration for FanFest will allow you to secure an assigned seat for the exhibition game, so again, make sure to look out for pre-reg details.
With the exhibition game taking place and Opening Day not too far away, you're probably wondering if fans will still have access to the field for activities and such. According to the press release by the Padres, there will still be some on-field action for fans in the morning hours, prior to the game in the afternoon.
While there will be some changes to the layout and schedule from years past, Padres FanFest presented by State Farm will feature many of the activities fans have come to love about the event, including player, coach and alumni autograph opportunities, the Padres Foundation Garage Sale, on-field activities and interactive forums. Field access will be limited to the morning hours of the event, in order to accommodate preparation for the exhibition game.
Now, in case you've never met me (Hi, I'm jodes!) or if you've ever wondered what the numbers at the end of my username mean, they actually represent my birthday on April 5th. So you can just imagine how excited I got when I saw the announcement about FanFest and my wish came true today.
YOOOOOOOO. #fanfest0404 MT @dennistlin: Padres announce FanFest will be April 4 this year.
— Jodi (Jodes) Paranal (@jodes0405) January 12, 2015
Jesse Agler was also born on 04/05, and former fellow Padres blogger and GLBer, RJsFro, was born on the 3rd, so it'll just be a whole big weekend of celebrations!
@jesseagler@RJsFro@jodes0405 Maybe you guys get an autograph section. It'd be a good place to go to avoid the crowds. #Zing
— Gaslamp Ball (@gaslampball) January 12, 2015
I hope to see you all there!