The Baltimore Orioles have announced an initiative called Kids Cheer Free, allowing fans age nine and younger to attend home games free of charge. Every adult who purchases a regularly-priced individual game ticket in the Upper Deck will be invited to bring up to two children (ages nine and under) to Oriole Park at Camden Yards compliments of the Orioles.
“Kids Cheer Free” tickets for games from March 31 through April 29 can be reserved now online at orioles.com/kidsfree, at the Oriole Park Box Office, and at the Official Orioles Team Store at the York Galleria in York, Pa., subject to availability. Tickets to remaining games will be made available on a month-by-month basis, as the season progresses.
Long providing one of the most affordable, family-friendly visitor experiences in sports, the Orioles are launching “Kids Cheer Free” alongside a comprehensive expansion of the club’s kids programming and family amenities including:
• Kids’ Corner: Beginning in May, children and parents will enjoy an expanded and reimagined Kids’ Corner located adjacent to Gate C. The new Kids’ Corner will offer entertainment for younger fans, including The Bird House, a new interactive treehouse activity center and jungle gym for children. Other kid-friendly elements will remain, including a moon bounce, skee-ball, Orioles throwing inflatable, larger-than-life Oriole bird bobbleheads, and more. The Kids’ Corner will also offer new food and beverage options, enhanced video entertainment, and lounge areas for parents.
• Kids Run the Bases presented by Weis Markets: All fans ages 4-14 are invited to round the bases like their favorite Orioles after each Sunday home game again this season.
• Fan Choice in All Food and Beverage Offerings: For the 2018 season, the club has revised food and beverage offerings to emphasize fan choice by providing small, medium, and large portion options at new price points throughout the ballpark. The Orioles have long offered one of the most family-friendly food and beverage policies in the sports industry, which invites families to bring their own food and beverages into the ballpark.
• “Friday Fireworks and Music at America’s Ballpark”: New this year, the Orioles’ popular fireworks series will be expanded to occur following every Friday from May through August, allowing fans the opportunity to enjoy the popular postgame activity following eight games this season. Additionally, beginning in May, Friday games will feature on-field, postgame performances by select music artists leading into the fireworks show. Saturday games will feature on-field, pregame performances to launch the club’s pregame festivities.
• Kids’ Opening Day: The annual celebration welcomes children and families for a new season of Orioles Baseball on the first Sunday of the season, April 1, as the Orioles take on the Minnesota Twins at 1:05 p.m. ET. The afternoon will include many engaging activities and unique gameday experiences for several lucky children.
• Exclusive Giveaways: During the 2018 season, kids will enjoy all five Orioles T-shirt giveaways, and several exclusive items including a Retro Oriole Bird Bank presented by Weis Markets and a Retro Talking Alarm Clock presented by United Concordia Dental.
• Junior Orioles Dugout Club: Available for fans ages 14 and under, the Junior Orioles Dugout Club features exclusive benefits including a free ticket to six selected Orioles games; an official Junior Orioles Dugout Club kit including a backpack, cap, nylon wall banner, lanyard, and membership card; member-only giveaways at each game; a 2018 Orioles Kids magazine subscription; and special rates for additional tickets for family and friends.
• OriolesREACH Gameday Experience Program: The program provides complimentary game tickets, concessions, a T-shirt and cap, and transportation to underserved youth from Baltimore. Since the program’s inception the Orioles have hosted more than 150,000 children through the OriolesREACH Gameday Experience Program.
• Family-Friendly Services: The Orioles provide many family-friendly services throughout the ballpark including private nursing stations on the Club Level; changing tables available in most men’s and women’s restrooms; family restrooms located next to the First Aid rooms behind home plate on both the Upper and Lower Level Concourses; and a Stroller Parking area both inside of Gate G and behind home plate on the lower concourse for large strollers that aren’t able to fit under a seat.
“The Orioles’ mission, and that of the national game of baseball, is to cast a broad community outreach, and that effort starts with thoughtfully expanding our initiatives benefiting kids and families,” said John Angelos, Orioles Executive Vice President. “In the United States today, baseball now attracts more than 110 million Americans each year to Major and Minor League Baseball games, before accounting for the many millions of Americans who cheer for their college, scholastic, and youth baseball programs. The Orioles are committed to sustaining the access for families from all walks of life to our great game, and that commitment is reflected in the Kids Cheer Free initiative and our many other family-focused programs.”