Ballpark takes a shot

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This article was published 25/07/2024 (725 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeggers will be heading to the ballpark in droves this weekend for back-to-back music festivals.

Friday, Blue Cross Park hosts the Country Rising Festival, featuring headliners the Brothers Osborne, Dallas Smith and the Reklaws. Saturday, the baseball diamond swaps pickup truck party anthems for ‘90s and ‘00s hip-hop bangers by Lil Jon, Chingy and Chamillionaire during the Tacos and Tequila Festival.

A combined 16,000 tickets have been sold for the parallel events.

“And we’ve got room for more,” says Regan Katz, Winnipeg Goldeyes vice president and chief operating officer.

The outdoor parties are a partnership between the Goldeyes and U.S. event company Social House Entertainment, which launched the travelling Tacos and Tequila Festival four years ago on the home turf of Fish rivals the Kansas City Monarchs.

Word spread quickly among league management.

“Talking to them about what they’ve done there and seeing all the fun and excitement around the festival, we’ve been working for over a year to try and get it into Winnipeg for its first Canadian stop,” Katz says.

Social House runs most of its music events at ball diamonds across the States — including a pop-punk Not Just a Phase Festival, which has attracted nostalgia acts such as Yellowcard, Hoobastank and the All-American Rejects. Top 40 country and throwback hip-hop seemed like safe bets for the company’s Winnipeg debut.

Earlier this week, Tacos and Tequila organizers announced a pair of last-minute lineup changes. Ginuwine, an R&B artist best known for his 1996 hit Pony, is under doctor’s orders not to perform and the Ying Yang Twins, an unrelated hip-hop duo who gained popularity in the early 2000s, are experiencing travel-related issues, according to the promoter.

David Banner and Mims have been added to the lineup. Refunds will not be issued.

This weekend, performances and events will take place on a stage in the outfield; ticket holders can grab a seat in the stands or enjoy the show from the field.

In addition to the concourse concessions, dozens of local food vendors and bars have been set up throughout the grounds.

The Goldeyes are scheduled to play at home on Tuesday and park management has taken pains to protect the diamond from a weekend of heavy foot traffic.

Friday’s extracurricular activities include yard games, line dancing and art installations. Gates open at 3:30 p.m.

The party starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday with local taco vendors, specialty margaritas, lucha libre wrestling, a salsa and queso competition and a chihuahua beauty pageant. Music is set to begin at 4 p.m.

Visitors are encouraged to carpool, bus or rideshare to and from the venue. A free bike valet service will be set up outside the gates. Chairs under 30-inches tall are permitted.

While Blue Cross Park (1 Portage Ave. East) has been the site of one-off concerts in the past, hosting a multi-day music festival is a new frontier. Katz is hopeful the events will be a home run.

“We will be doing festivals annually. We’re really excited to show off our park to (people) who probably haven’t been here before — this is attracting not your typical baseball fan,” he says.

The Goldeyes front office is experimenting with other forms of non-baseball entertainment this summer, including a “bike-in movie night” at the diamond on Aug. 22 featuring the soccer movie Next Goal Wins.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

X: @evawasney