On Saturday afternoon, the Orioles will play the Texas Rangers at Camden Yards within the opening sport of the American League Division Series — the Orioles’ first playoff look since 2016.
Mere hours later, crowds will flock to the realm for a unique attraction: a present placed on by rock legends Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens introduced the live performance in January, lengthy earlier than any potential overlap with an Orioles postseason sport was sure.
Together, the baseball sport and live performance are anticipated to attract greater than 90,000 folks to the stadium complicated. But it’s nothing Baltimore can’t deal with, Mayor Brandon Scott informed The Baltimore Sun in a written assertion.
“This Saturday is exactly the kind of day that we want to be having in Baltimore’s vibrant downtown,” Scott stated, noting that town’s Emergency Operations Center is “activated” and that Baltimore has pulled off comparable conditions earlier than, like when an Orioles sport began earlier than the top of Charm City Live pageant in August. “On days like this, we’re reminded that Baltimore truly is a destination for sports and entertainment.”
If you’re gearing as much as go to 1 — or each — of the occasions, listed below are 5 issues it is advisable find out about getting there.
1. Expect a number of street closures downtown
The Baltimore City Department of Transportation on Thursday introduced street closures in anticipation of each occasions, plus a slew of festivals taking on town this weekend.
On Saturday beginning round 10 a.m., Eutaw Street from Pratt to Camden streets; Camden Street from Howard to Russell streets; Hamburg Street from Russell to Leadenhall streets; and Howard Street from Pratt to Conway streets will probably be closed for the Orioles sport, which is able to start simply after 1 p.m.
Before and in the course of the Joel and Nicks live performance, which begins at 7 p.m., the northbound Russell Street Service Drive will probably be closed to site visitors between West and Hamburg streets. From round 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. to simply earlier than midnight, Hamburg Street between Leadenhall and Paca streets; Warner Street between Ostend and Worcester streets; Ostend Street between Sharp and Warner streets; and Bayard Street between Russell and Warner streets may also be closed.
Transportation enforcement officers will probably be readily available to aide in guiding site visitors, in line with the Baltimore City Department of Transportation.
2. Street parking additionally will probably be restricted
Baltimore DOT additionally introduced Thursday that parking will probably be restricted in anticipation of the Orioles sport starting at 10 a.m. on the east facet of Eutaw Street from Pratt to Lombard streets; the north facet of Conway Street from Charles to Sharp streets; the east facet of Greene Street, from Lombard Street to Washington Boulevard; and the north facet of Pratt Street, from Greene to Paca streets.
Parking restrictions and residential allow parking laws round M&T Bank Stadium will probably be “strictly enforced,” and people driving to the live performance ought to park in industrial heaps, DOT officers suggested.
3. Public transportation could also be packed
Increased ridership is predicted on public transportation to the Orioles playoff sport, the Joel and Nicks live performance, and the Carin León present at CFG Bank Arena at 8 p.m. Saturday, Courtney Mims, the director of media relations for the Maryland Transit Administration, informed The Sun in an electronic mail.
“The agency will be using all available Light Rail vehicles plus supplementing them with express shuttle buses,” Mims stated, additionally suggesting the Metro Subway as an choice for followers and concertgoers. “We encourage everyone to arrive early and stay late to enjoy all the city has to offer and avoid the crowds.”
The MTA will run supplemental specific shuttle buses from Glen Burnie/Cromwell and Timonium Fairgrounds to Camden Yards from 8 a.m. to midnight Saturday, along with common mild rail. Light rail will proceed to function for one hour after the Joel and Nicks live performance concludes.
For the Orioles sport, buses will probably be staged on the Camden Station curb; for the live performance, buses will probably be staged in Lot C.
4. Lots will open at 5:30 p.m. for concertgoers
The Ravens issued an advisory for concertgoers that parking heaps shared between the 2 stadiums would open at 5:30 p.m. Saturday to those that pre-purchased stadium lot permits for the Joel and Nicks present, the identical time the gates to M&T Bank Stadium open.
“If any unpredictable circumstances arise that will further delay the opening of parking lots at the Camden Yards Sports Complex, we will communicate updates via the Ravens’ official X/Twitter account” and by electronic mail, the advisory acknowledged, itemizing “weather delays or extra innings” in the course of the Orioles sport as potential hiccups that would push again the switch of heaps to concertgoers.
The advisory additionally advised options to parking in stadium heaps, resembling utilizing SpotHero to search out close by parking, choosing public transportation or counting on ride-sharing.
5. If rain causes delay, Orioles sport will take precedence
In the occasion of a rain delay — and relying on how severely it bumps again the Orioles sport, if it occurs — sports activities followers and concertgoers might cross paths in a big method. As of Thursday evening, the National Weather Service referred to as for a 60% likelihood of precipitation Saturday, with showers probably, however primarily within the morning.
Provisions within the Orioles’ and Ravens’ leases with the state of Maryland, which owns the 2 stadiums that share parking heaps, point out that the baseball sport would have “scheduling priority” over the M&T Bank Stadium live performance, which might doubtlessly go away concertgoers scrambling for parking within the occasion of a weather-related change to Saturday’s anticipated schedule.
Baltimore Sun reporter Hayes Gardner contributed to this text.
()
