It's Opening Day for the Durham Bulls. Here's what fans can look forward to this season.
It's Opening Day for the Durham Bulls Thursday, and the defending Triple-A National Champs are ready to celebrate their title, complete with fireworks.
The festivities after the game against the Charlotte Knights are just some of the events at Durham Bulls Athletic Park this weekend, which also include more games and a LEGO event.
But really, the entire season is packed with promotions and events for baseball fans and families.
Find more details at durhambulls.com.
Here's a look at the highlights.
Tickets
Tickets are sold for individuals, groups, kids and families. Seating can be found in the lawn and outfield as well as reserved boxed seats. Tickets start at $7.99 for those outfield seats while reserved seats closer infield are $11.99. Find the seating map here.
The promotions
▪ LEGO Weekend: If your family loves baseball or LEGOs, head to the stadium's concourse Saturday and Sunday. Fans can take photos with LEGO models made entirely of LEGO bricks, and there will be family LEGO activities.
▪ Fireworks: After every home game, there will be a fireworks show.
▪ 30th Anniversary of Bull Durham: To honor the 30th birthday of this classic sports film, the Durham Bulls will celebrate "Bull Durham" over two weekends in June. Players will wear throwback uniforms worn for the 25th anniversary celebration. On June 8, Durham Athletic Park will host a screening of of "Bull Durham" at the exact spot where it was filmed. Then on June 15, exactly 30 years after the film's premiere, the Bulls will showcase numerous artifacts and props from the 1988 film.
▪ Stranger Things Night: On Friday, July 13, look for a night celebrating the popular Netflix series. That evening, the Bulls will play the Charlotte Knights while wearing specially designed uniforms. The ballpark will be full of references to the series created by Durham natives and Jordan High School Alumni, the Duffer Brothers. Throughout the show's first two seasons there have been numerous references to Durham locales, including Jordan Lake, the Eno River and Cornwallis Road.
▪ Bark in the Park: April 11 is the first "Bark in the Park" game with a pregame puppy parade on the field. It costs $7.99 for humans and $5 for their dog friends. The dog ticket gets your pup a seat, and the proceeds go to Second Chance Pet Adoptions. Future dates are May 16, June 13, July 25 and Aug. 22.
The food
For the first time this year, DBAP will host two food trucks every Friday. And like last year, the Bulls asked fans to pick the homestand food specials. The winners are fried pretzels, BBQ brisket sandwich, fried bacon-wrapped hot dogs and loaded tater tots. Other items will be scheduled later in the season. Gonza Tacos and the Two Roosters will be back with Pie Pushers pizza setting up shop. Every Tuesday home game is Taco Tuesday with $2 tacos.
How to get there
The park is at 409 Blackwell St., Durham, off the Durham Freeway. Parking is around the venue for $6 per car (except for day games), and parking passes are color coded to match certain garages. GoDurham and GoTriangle public transit also will take you there.
Camp out nights
Sleep on the baseball field after the game. The nights, scheduled for June 2 and July 28, tend to sell out, so make your reservations now. The night includes the game, fireworks, camp out patch (for Boy and Girl Scouts), dinner and breakfast.
This story was originally published April 5, 2018 at 3:48 PM with the headline "It's Opening Day for the Durham Bulls. Here's what fans can look forward to this season.."