Detroit Tigers: Reasons Why You Should Go to TigerFest in 2018

The 2017 Detroit Tigers Winter Caravan and TigerFest are in the books, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t start planning for the 2018 event.

Every year, the Detroit Tigers organizes a grand event that brings fans and players together at Comerica Park. Rain, shine, snow, or wind, Comerica Park is loaded with thousands of fans who love their Tigers.

Fans come from the Detroit area, West Michigan, and all over the state to get face-to-face with their favorite players, the coaches, and the executives. Favorite faces and voices from the media are also there to interview players and share their favorite moments from the previous year.

TigerFest is one of the most affordable ways to get into Comerica Park. Having a ticket gives you full access to places that you normally wouldn’t get during a game. It also gives you more access than you would get if you took a tour of the park on an away-day. And, the best part is that there are players wandering all around – you don’t get that during away-day tours.

TigerFest tickets usually go on sale in the middle of December. The team announces the sale date via email and on their official MLB website. Usually, the tickets go on sale on a Wednesday or Thursday in the late mornings. It is best to buy them as soon as they go on sale because they tend to sell out that day. Tickets will either be mailed to you or you can access them online. I personally like to have them mailed to my house, because they can be autographed. In 2017, adult tickets cost $28 and children’s (13 and under) tickets were $14.

Here are a few other reasons to visit TigerFest in 2018.

Reason #1 to go to TigerFest: You never know who you will see.

One of the most exciting things about TigerFest is seeing the players. As you wander around Comerica Park, players often show up out of nowhere. They appear in the clubhouse and in the dugout. They show up in the social media spaces and they perform on the kid’s stage.

As fans were waiting outside of Comerica Park, Justin Verlander made an appearance and started to high-five fans. One lucky little guy got to have a selfie with JV and later in the day, he and his mother showed up on Verlander’s Instagram feed.

I was in line with Korry Buxton and his mom when Verlander posted this picture on Instagram. Her phone was blowing up with messages from friends and family. The nine-year-old catcher did not quite grasp the moment, but his mom sure did and together they will always have that memory.

In 2016, my son and I were waiting in a line near the Tigers clubhouse when Miguel Cabrera walked right by. Miggy stopped for a moment to give my son a high five. He will never forget that moment.

Another fan that I spoke with at TigerFest was in the clubhouse when Miggy showed up. They all sat on one of the couches and took a photo together. If you don’t go to TigerFest, you won’t have those opportunities.

Along with seeing favorite players, TigerFest has other special guests. The Pizza-Pizza guy from Little Caesars was there, as well as the mascot from the University of Detroit Mercy. The minor league mascots were also there, so fans could take pictures with C. Wolf from the Erie Seawolves and with Muddy and Mudonna from the Toledo Mud Hens. Of course, Paws was in attendance and the ever-popular Motor City Wheels were there for photo opportunities, too.

Reason #2 to go to TigerFest: Tigers sign autographs for fans.

Throughout the entire event, there are Detroit Tigers giving autographs. During the season, if you go to a game, there is a chance that you might be able to get a ball signed. But, at TigerFest, you are guaranteed to get autographs.

At TigerFest, there are at least five lines that end at tables where Tigers are busy signing baseballs, bats, hats, and gloves for fans. The lines are long, but they do move. If you have a child who is 13 or under, you can take advantage of the kids-only line. This line is the fastest moving in the event because only children can get autographs – even though their parents wait with them. And, it usually has more than one Tiger sitting at the table. When my son (who is 13) got in this line, he ended up getting autographs from Drew VerHagen, Mark Lowe, and J.D. Martinez.

The players do not personalize the autographs. And, the employees who run the lines ask that fans do not take posed photographs with the players – but many fans do anyway. By the time the event ended, my son also got autographs from Shane Greene, Daniel Norris, Tyler Collins, and Blaine Hardy.

The only issue with the autograph lines is that fans never know what players will be sitting at the tables. Media photos from the day showed that Cabrera, Justin Upton, Jose Iglesias, as well as other players took time to sign for fans.

Reason #4 to go to TigerFest in 2018: The shows are entertaining

Throughout the day, there are plenty of shows to watch beyond the interviews. The Kid’s Stage provides some of the most entertaining moments. Tigers players and coaches show their off-field skills as they perform in a variety of ways for the kids and adults in the audience.

Usually, there are two or more Tigers who show up on the stage to perform. In one scheduled moment, Nick Castellanos and Tyler Collins had a lip-sync battle. Singing boy-band songs, they serenaded the audience and engaged a few lucky kids who joined them on stage. It was clear that Castellanos and Collins enjoyed the moment as they strutted around the stage getting plenty of laughs and cheers from adoring kids. Both players put on a good show and it was challenging to select the winner.

Another memorable moment came from a Guess the Emoji competition between Matt Boyd and Daniel Norris. Like Castellanos and Collins, the pair was joined on stage by children who helped them solve the emoji puzzles. It was quite obvious that Norris does not spend his time watching movies because he had a difficult time figuring out the titles that the emojis represented. Boyd was significantly more comfortable on the stage interacting with the kids. Both players did earn plenty of smiles and laughs from the kids – which was why they were there.

In what has become an annual highlight on the kid’s stage, Cabrera puts on a magic show with the help of the stage emcee. This event occurs early in the event. Nearly every player has some moment on the kids stage, so you are bound to see a favorite if you stick around.

There are other shows going on around the park, too. Chandler Bats sets up a mini shop and their master craftsmen make bats live on a lathe in front of attendees. If you are lucky, you get to keep one of their hand-made bats. Usually, you have to stick around and watch the bat being made from start to finish.

If these four reasons are not enough, there are a few more good things about attending TigerFest. Every fan gets a freebie – this year it was a good looking knit hat. There are discounted Tigers items (like hats, bobble heads, and tees) for $5 and under. And, it is worth it to hang out with fellow fans for five or six hours.

Next: High Expectations for Detroit Tigers Veterans in 2017

See you at Comerica Park for TigerFest next year! And #GoTigers!