The Orioles on Tuesday unveiled plans to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards throughout the 2022 season. The Orioles will begin the year-long celebration of The Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball™ with festivities leading up to an exciting Opening Day when they host the Toronto Blue Jays on March 31, and continuing through the duration of the season.
Since April 6, 1992, when the Orioles hosted the first game at Oriole Park, it has become an iconic venue in the sports and entertainment world. The park was brand new, yet still old fashioned, and state-of-the-art, yet quaint, instantly becoming a classic. Oriole Park inspired a generation of ballpark construction, trailblazing ideas that had so long been features of sport facilities. No longer would communities across America build stadiums devoid of character, but instead would build them to flow seamlessly in existing and historic neighborhoods, playing key roles in the revitalization of urban America.
In the 30 years that have followed, Oriole Park has been one of the leading catalysts for year-round tourism in Baltimore and Maryland. The downtown attraction has welcomed more than 72 million kids and adults to Charm City’s Inner Harbor area to date, generating over $10 billion in economic impact back into the City of Baltimore and State of Maryland. The ballpark has not only opened its gates to baseball fans but has welcomed music aficionados for various events including the first-ever concert at Oriole Park, featuring Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and music legend Billy Joel. This concert alone brought more than 40,000 visitors to Downtown Baltimore for the evening, and the Orioles look forward to regularly hosting similar events moving forward. While our nation faced a crucial moment in history, the ballpark quickly transitioned into providing support to the most vulnerable neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming a testing and vaccination site, and a packing hub for meal distribution efforts.
On the field, Oriole Park was home to the Iron Man, and witnessed the tying, breaking, and setting of an untouchable feat; it was the backdrop for Steady Eddie’s iconic 500th home run; the workplace of 65 All-Stars, two Managers of the Year, 11 Silver Sluggers, and nine Gold Glove winners; and the location of 113 Eutaw Street home runs, and countless other tremendous plays. As the team celebrates the 30th anniversary season, fans will have the opportunity to welcome back past Orioles who have had an integral part in the history of the ballpark.
To celebrate the tremendous impact of Oriole Park over the last 30 years, the Orioles unveiled a robust slate of festivities to give homage to The Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball™ and its impact on the team, the city, and the state. Throughout the 2022 season, jerseys for all uniformed personnel will feature the official Oriole Park at Camden Yards 30th Anniversary logo patch on the right sleeve, a constant ode to the home ballpark. Fans will be able to take home their own piece of Oriole Park history as the Orioles Team Store will have 30th anniversary merchandise, novelties, glassware, hats, and apparel available for purchase.
Opening Day will include a large celebration to kick off the anniversary season, but festivities will culminate on Saturday, August 6, when the Orioles host the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fans can enjoy a pregame ceremony celebration, view unique memorabilia, and receive an Oriole Park-themed giveaway item. Additional items to celebrate the anniversary season include:
• Birdland Memberships – At the start of the season, each Birdland Member will receive a member-only gift: an exclusive hat and vial of dirt from the Oriole Park infield. For information on additional Member-only perks, including up to a 30% discount on concessions and merchandise, and to become a Birdland Member, visit Orioles.com/BirdlandMemberships.
• $10 Eutaw Street Bleachers – The Orioles will offer $10 seats in the outfield Eutaw Street bleachers for each home game, Monday through Thursday, for the duration of the season, excluding Opening Day. The on-sale date for 2022 individual games will be announced at a later time.
• Habitat For Humanity – As part of the club’s ongoing community efforts to Strengthen Our Community and Empower Our Youth, the Orioles have partnered with Habitat For Humanity to provide housing to those in need in our own backyard for decades to come. Located in the shadows of Oriole Park in the Pigtown neighborhood, the Orioles will help build three new-construction homes, two rowhome rehabs, and a community greenspace, among other projects. Throughout the year-long project, members of the front office, Orange & Black Gives Back Employee Volunteer Program, and various other partners will participate in build days to complete the project.
• Oriole Park Exhibit – Located within the ballpark gates, fans will be able to experience the history of Oriole Park through a 30th anniversary exhibit featuring memorabilia and never-before-seen photos of the ballpark from the last three decades. Fans will also be able to share their unique personal history of the ballpark by contributing photos and memories.
Additional items, more detailed information, and regularly-updated stories on the 30th anniversary and events are forthcoming at Orioles.com/OriolePark30.
ABOUT ORIOLE PARK: Since Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened on April 6, 1992, a new era of Major League Baseball began. Oriole Park inspired a generation of ballpark construction. No longer would communities across America build multipurpose stadiums devoid of character. Ballparks would now be created to nestle into existing and historic neighborhoods and play key roles in the revitalization of Urban America. In the 30 years that have followed, Oriole Park has welcomed more than 72 million fans to Orioles games, and millions more to major concerts, festivals, meetings, tours, and community events, providing over $10 billion in economic impact to the City of Baltimore and State of Maryland. The Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball™ captured the nation’s attention from day one and in the season that followed has served as the standard by which all new ballparks are measured.