Everything. you need to know to enjoy Opening Day.
NOTE: Scroll down for the inside the stadium Opening Day schedule.
To watch our Pre-Opening Day Party at Viviano’s video: CLICK HERE
By Mike Rains
Celebrate Cardinals Opening Day on Thursday, March 26th vs Tampa Bay St. Louis Style– and that means it’s an all-day party. Whether you are going to the game, just going downtown for the festivities or enjoying it from your home, we have everything you will want to know in this article.
Weather Outlook: (From Weather.com)– Be sure you dress accordingly
Opening Day Television Coverage
The Cardinals Live pregame show presented by Toyota starts at 2:00 PM inside Busch Stadium, hosted by Dani Wexelman alongside analyst Mark Sweeney. Coverage of the Cardinals’ pregame ceremonies and player introductions will start at 2:30 PM.
Calling the Cardinals’ Opening Day matchup versus the Rays will be play-by-play announcer Chip Caray and analyst Brad Thompson with Jim Hayes reporting from around Busch Stadium. The Cardinals Live postgame show presented by CarShield will follow after the final out.
Thursday, March 26 will be packed with official rallies, broadcasts, and fan events leading into the first pitch at Busch Stadium.
Here’s a full rundown of the main pep rallies and organized Opening Day events happening around St. Louis.
Official Cardinals Opening Day Pep Rally (Ballpark Village)
The centerpiece of Opening Day festivities once again takes place at Ballpark Village.
- Together Credit Union Plaza
- Hosted by Todd Thomas and Team Fredbird
- Live music and entertainment
- Giveaways and fan interaction
- FREE and open to the public
According to the Cardinals, this is the official Cardinals rally and the largest gathering of fans before Opening Day — expect a packed plaza and a high-energy kickoff to the season.
KMOX “Kegs & Eggs” (Cardinals Nation)
A staple of Opening Day week, KMOX’s Kegs & Eggs returns as one of the biggest pregame parties in the city.
- Cardinals Nation (Ballpark Village)
- Morning through early afternoon
- Live KMOX broadcasts with Cardinals guests and alumni
- Drinks, food, and giveaways
- FREE event, first come, first serve, doors open at 9a.
- This is the unofficial start of Opening Day celebrations, drawing a huge crowd every year.
Ballpark Village Opening Day Events
Enjoy the FREE Opening Day Pep Rally hosted by Todd Thomas and Team Fredbird in the Together Credit Union Plaza to kick off the day.
Featuring live music with the Red Jackets in FanDuel Sports Network Live! pre-game and game watch reservation options and more all at STL’s Sports Watch destination.
Good times are on deck- don’t miss out. Kick off baseball season with the best Opening Day in the MLB.
Beyond the main rally, Ballpark Village hosts other events with live music and DJs across multiple venues
- Large-scale watch party setup
- Food and drink specials
- Coordinated fan events throughout the day
Everything is centralized here, making it the hub of all official Opening Day celebrations.
Downtown Bars:
PaddyO’s is right next to the stadium and always a hot spot for Cardinals fans. It opens three hours before games.
Other key spots include the Three Sixty Rooftop Bar, hosting its 15th annual rally with panoramic views. 360 Rooftop Bar opening two hours ahead of the game on opening day. Start the 2026 baseball season at 360, the rooftop bar at the top of the St.Louis, One S. Broadway. Patios overlook the St. Louis skyline from 400-feet in the sky. Indoor seating and outdoor patios welcome fans before the game and are open late after the game. Views are of the stadium to the south and the Gateway Arch and Mississippi to the east as well as Kiener Plaza to the north and the downtown streets to the west. Lounge seating. Celebrate with food and drink including pizzas, entrees, and sophisticated sharable foods. Cocktails, beer and wine add to the fun. No cover. No reservations needed. All season long, 360 will be opening two hours ahead of day games. Fans can make it a staycation by checking in to the Ballpark Hilton and just riding the elevator “home.”
Another place is the Tin Roof, featuring live music near Busch Stadium.
Syberg’s Market. Hop a ride on the Syberg’s Shuttle to & from every Cardinals
For Families:
Union Station
ST. LOUIS AQUARIUM “Spring Training” Fun Continues Through March 29 With Amazing Animals and Family Activities
Hit your Opening Day plans out of the park at St. Louis Union Station. St. Louis loves animals and baseball — and the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station is celebrating Spring Break with both from now through March 29 during its Spring Training baseball-themed adventure. This would be a great place to start off with the kids and end up at the stadium.
Fielder’s Choice in Ballpark Village: Fielder’s Choice is the perfect place to start your day with our freshly brewed coffee, bagels, or a mid-afternoon ice cream.
If you get downtown early, enjoy a hot breakfast sandwich or grab a donut and a coffee to go.
The kids will enjoy the ice cream offerings, including this ice cream sundae in the plastic Cardinals batting helmet.
Coming from out of town? There are several Drury Hotels downtown
Be sure you use our STL Sports Page Discount code when making a reservation at any Drury Hotel: CLICK HERE.
- Walking distance to the ballpark: Drury Plaza Hotel, 2 S 4th St, St. Louis, MO 63102
- Walking distance to Union Station (right next door), 201 S 20th St, St. Louis, MO 63103
- Also downtown, near St. Louis Convention Center, can walk to Busch Stadium, Pear Tree by Drury, 711 N Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102
Final Word
Plan for long lines and lots of people– Opening Day is a holiday in St. Louis and with a little planning it will be a great day. If you’re looking for events, pep rallies, and organized Opening Day celebrations, a good bet would be Ballpark Village, but there are also a lot of other smaller venues who would appreciate your business. You can’t go wrong in St. Louis on Opening Day.
From the official Cardinals pep rally to KMOX’s Kegs & Eggs and ive broadcast,s March 26 sets the tone for what St. Louis does best — turning Opening Day into an all-day, city-wide celebration.
Take photos and send them to us, and we may use then in an upcoming newsletter. Email to: Rains@STLSportsPage.com
PREGAME CEREMONIES
A pregame ceremony that introduces the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals, honors the club’s Hall of Famers and celebrates the great tradition of Opening Day in St. Louis will highlight the annual return of baseball at Busch Stadium on Thursday, March 26. The Cardinals will open the 2026 season at Busch Stadium against the Tampa Bay Rays at 3:15 PM CT. Fans are encouraged to arrive early in order to enjoy all the pregame ceremonies. An Opening Day timeline and schedule information can be found below and at cardinals.com/OpeningDay to help fans enjoy the unofficial holiday that is #OpeningDaySTL:
Pregame Schedule
10:30 AM – 1:00 PM Official Opening Day Pep Rally at Ballpark Village: Join Fredbird, Team Fredbird, DJ Todd Thomas, Cardinals organist Dwayne Hilton, Cardinals Alumni, and the Red & Black Brass Band at the Busch II Infield Stage in the Together Credit Union Plaza for the Cardinals Opening Day Pep Rally. This event is free for all fans to attend and includes prizes and ticket giveaways to Opening Day and other 2026 games.
12:00 PM Busch Stadium Gates Open
2026 Cardinals Magnet Schedule: All fans, ages 21 and older, will receive a magnet featuring the 2026 Cardinals schedule, compliments of Budweiser.
Ford Plaza will have Team Fredbird playing music and games until 2:20 PM.
The Alex Rich Band and DJ Deks will be performing and gearing fans for the start of pregame ceremonies with happy hour pricing in Budweiser Terrace and at the Crown Bar, respectively, until 2:20 PM.
12:00 – 12:55 PM Cardinals batting practice (subject to change)
12:55 – 1:50 PM Rays batting practice (subject to change)
2:30 PM Pregame ceremonies begin with an appearance by the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales
Introduction of Fredbird & Team Fredbird
Recognition of Chairman & CEO, Bill DeWitt Jr.; President, Bill DeWitt III; and President of Baseball Operations, Chaim Bloom
Introduction of National Baseball & Cardinals Hall of Famers via 2026 Ford Mustang convertible motorcade
Introduction of the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals via Ford F-150 truck motorcade
Introduction of the Tampa Bay Rays
3:05 PM National Anthem performance by the Red & Black Brass Band with flag presentation by the Ft. Leonard Wood service members.
Ceremonial First Pitch by 2006 World Series MVP David Eckstein, 2006 World Series Champion Gary Bennett, and 1996 National League Central Champions Brian Jordan & Tom Pagnozzi
3:15 PM First Pitch by Cardinals Opening Day starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore
Forecasted Weather (As of Tuesday March 24)
Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High 93° F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 MPH.
Projected Opening Day Roster
Pitchers (13): Justin Bruihl, Kyle Leahy, Matthew Liberatore, Dustin May, Michael McGreevy, Riley O’Brien, Andre Pallante, Matt Pushard, JoJo Romero, Chris Roycroft, George Soriano, Ryne Stanek, Matt Svanson
Catchers (3): Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés, Yohel Pozo
Infielders (7): Alec Burleson, José Fermín, Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, Ramón Urías, JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn
Outfielders (3): Nathan Church, Victor Scott II, Jordan Walker
Injured List (1): Lars Nootbaar-OF
Red Jackets
The following National Baseball Hall of Famers & Cardinals Hall of Famers are expected to take part in Opening Day pregame ceremonies (subject to change):
National Baseball Hall of Famers: Tony La Russa, Scott Rolen, Ted Simmons, & Ozzie Smith
Cardinals Hall of Famers: Vince Coleman, Al Hrabosky, Jason Isringhausen, Ray Lankford, Willie McGee, Mark McGwire, Édgar Renteria, & John Tudor
Approximately 40 Cardinals Alumni will return to attend Opening Day at Busch Stadium.
Television Coverage – Game Channels Will Be Announced on Opening Day
The Cardinals Live pregame show presented by Toyota starts at 2:00 PM and will originate inside Busch Stadium on Opening Day, hosted by Dani Wexelman alongside analyst Mark Sweeney. Coverage of the Cardinals’ pregame ceremonies and player introductions will start at 2:30 PM.
Calling the Cardinals’ Opening Day matchup versus the Rays will be play-by-play announcer Chip Caray and analyst Brad Thompson with Jim Hayes reporting from around Busch Stadium. The Cardinals Live postgame show presented by CarShield will follow after the final out.
Major League Baseball will produce and distribute all in-market Cardinal games for the 2026 season. Fans located in the Cardinals’ television footprint will be able to watch games on their preferred traditional cable, satellite, and streaming TV providers with no additional subscription needed. Specific game channels for each provider will be announced on the morning of Opening Day at approximately 8AM, although fans can expect to find the Cardinals game channel in the same neighborhood as its previous RSN channel.
Fans located within the Cardinals’ TV territory without traditional cable or satellite service will have the option to watch games on their smart TV, smartphone or other connected device with no blackout restrictions on Cardinals.TV presented by bet365. The direct-to-consumer streaming platform accessible from the MLB app or MLB.com can be purchased for $99.99 for the full season or $19.99/month at cardinals.com/tv.
Visit cardinals.com/watch for more information on all the ways to watch Cardinals baseball in 2026.
Radio Coverage
Fans can tune into KMOX 104.1 FM, 1120 AM or one of the other 168 stations in the Cardinals Radio Network to hear John Rooney, Ricky Horton, and Mike Claiborne call the game. The Ameren Total Access Show starts at 1:35 PM and will include live coverage of the pregame ceremonies inside Busch Stadium.
Fans can tune in locally to WIJR 880 AM “La Tremenda”, or one of the other nine stations in the club’s Cardinals Spanish Radio Network to hear Spanish broadcasters Polo Ascencio and Bengie Molina call the game as well. Pregame coverage starts at 2:10 PM and will include live coverage of the pregame ceremonies.
NEW $5 Concession Value Menu
Fans can enjoy a selection of ballpark favorites, including hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, soda and water, for just $5 each at every home game, all season long. The new Value Menu can be found at four different concession locations throughout Busch Stadium (cardinals.com/valuemenu):
- Field Level near Section 132 – Gashouse Grill
- Field Level near Section 162 – Ballpark Favorites
- Loge Level near Section 233 – Gashouse Grill
- Terrace Level near Section 446 – Dizzy’s Diner
Also New for 2026
- Jordan Davis Postgame Concert: Fans are invited to stay after the game on Friday, May 29 for a postgame concert by country music superstar Jordan Davis. No additional ticket is necessary, admission to the postgame concert is free with a game ticket! A limited number of VIP Field Access Packages are available to enjoy the show on the field at cardinals.com/postgame.
- Cardinals Kids Club: The revamped Cardinals Kids Club now offer the option of a new, free Rookie membership level or a paid All-Star tier that both feature exclusive benefits for members to enjoy throughout the season:
- Rookie membership benefits include exclusive ballpark giveaways, two tickets to a Monday-Thursday game, additional ticket discounts, a 10% Cardinals Team Store discount, free speed pitch and virtual reality sessions in the Hi-Chew Family Pavilion, and monthly communications from the Cardinals.
- The All-Star membership tier unlocks two tickets for all five Cardinals Kids Party Sunday games, front-of-the-line privileges for Kids Run the Bases, and an exclusive Cardinals merchandise kit.
- To register for a 2026 Cardinals Kids Club membership or for more information, visit cardinals.com/kidsclub.
- Cardinal Museum’s Special Exhibit: The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame & Museum’s 2026 special exhibit, 1926: The 100th Anniversary, will highlight players and game-changing moments of the 1926 World Series. Celebrate the standout performances by both the Cardinals and Yankees, see game-used artifacts, photographs and memorabilia! This exhibit will take you through the Cardinals’ first championship and the heated beginnings of a World Series rivalry. Museum tickets can be purchased at cardinals.com/museum.
NEW ABS Challenge System
Beginning this season, players will have the power to appeal the strike-zone judgments of human home-plate umpires by turning to the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System, powered by T-Mobile–a technological advancement that will not only help ensure the most important calls are made correctly but also add a fun new layer of strategy to the sport.
Tested in the Minor Leagues since 2022 and in Major League Spring Training the last two years, this change is supported by fan polling and was approved MLB’s Joint Competition Committee last September. The system will be used in every game across the league played in an MLB ballpark, including the postseason.
ABS Challenge Rules:
- Each team starts the game with two challenges. Successful challenges (call overturned) are retained and Unsuccessful challenges (call is confirmed) are lost. Teams will receive an additional challenge in extra innings if they don’t have any remaining.
- Only the pitcher, catcher or batter may challenge. A player’s decision to challenge must be unaided and made immediately after the umpire’s call or the resolution of an intermittent play.
- Players will tap their cap or helmet to alert the umpire to their desire to challenge a call. An animated pitch result graphic is shown to those in attendance via the video board and to home viewers via the television broadcast.
2026 Official Team Media Guide
The St. Louis Cardinals Media Guide is the official resource used daily by sportswriters, broadcasters and Cardinals front office staff. Featuring 2025 Silver Slugger Alec Burleson and 2025 Gold Glove award winner Masyn Winn on the cover, the Cardinals Media Guide contains stats and biographies of every player and coach in the organization and is the best and most comprehensive book about the Cardinals anywhere.
Printed copies of the 2026 Media Guide are available for $20 at the Official Cardinals Team Store at Busch Stadium, inside Cardinals Authentics Shops, or online at cardinals.com/mediaguide.
2026 Cardinals Care 50/50 Raffle—New Rollover Format
The Cardinals Care 50/50 Raffle returns for the 2026 regular season, giving fans the opportunity to win cash prizes while supporting Cardinals Care programs that benefit children across the St. Louis region. New this season, the raffle will feature a rollover format, allowing jackpots to grow larger until a winning ticket is selected. Drawings will take place at the end of the 7th inning during the final game of each homestand.
Ticket sales for the first Cardinals Care 50/50 Raffle are on sale now, and remain open until the end of the 7th inning on Wednesday, April 1. Fans can also purchase tickets from Cardinals Care volunteer sellers throughout Busch Stadium when gates open until the end of the 7th inning during each home game.
Raffle tickets are 200 for $50, 60 for $20, and 10 for $10. Fans can take advantage of special online early bird raffle ticket pricing of 400 for $50 or 120 for $20 from now through and 11:59 PM CT on Wednesday, March 25. The winning number will be drawn on Wednesday, April 1, at the end of the 7th inning.
Fans must be 18 years of age or older and physically located in Missouri at the time of purchase. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cardinals.com/5050.
Cardinals Care Auctions
Cardinals Care Auctions return for the 2026 season, offering fans the chance to bid on exclusive Cardinals memorabilia while supporting programs that benefit children across the St. Louis community.
Fans can bid on a wide variety of autographed, team-issued, and game-used items during each home series, with the first auction opening on Thursday, March 26, at 9:00 AM CT and closing on Sunday, March 29, at 9:00 PM CT. Fans can explore newly added items and place their bids online at cardinals.com/ccauctions.
Guest Screening & Prohibited Items Policy
Guest safety is a priority for the St. Louis Cardinals and Major League Baseball. The screening program and inspection policy at Busch Stadium is an important part of making Busch Stadium a safe environment for our guests.
- In conjunction with a league-wide policy established by Major League Baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals reserve the right to inspect all items entering Busch Stadium.
- Guests may bring in items such as: bags, purses and soft-sided coolers not exceeding 10” x 8” x 10”; food, non-alcoholic beverages in factory-sealed plastic bottles no larger than 2 liters; empty cups, mugs, tumblers or plastic bottles.
- Fans can visit cardinals.com/security for the complete stadium inspection policy and prohibited items list.
