The best little park in baseball is back with even more excitement that goes beyond the bases.
Shaw Park, the home of our beloved Winnipeg Goldeyes, not only serves up great American Association baseball all summer long. It also serves local cuisine from an all-star roster of vendors, local craft beer from our ace breweries and enough theme nights to fill the dugout.
Plus, being just steps between Portage and Main and The Forks, you can’t beat the location for a night out that could end with fireworks filling the downtown skies.
Here’s what’s on deck this July and August at Shaw Park. #LetsGoGoldeyes
Theme nights you won’t want to miss
July 25, Ukrainian Night – A local favourite, the 7th annual “Ukrainian Night” will be a celebration of all things Ukrainian – from food, to music and culture. Greeting fans will be members of Folklorama’s Ukraine-Kyiv Pavilion as Ukrainian music plays in the concourse. To kick off the game, our famed Hoosli Ukrainian Male Chorus will perform the anthems (including “Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy i slava, i volia”/”Glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet Perished”), while throughout the evening there will be performances from the Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, along with plenty of fun games for the crowd including a “So You Think You Can Dance – Ukrainian” contest.
July 28 is Oktoberfest! - Sponsored by Manitoba Pork and 92.1 CITI FM, this night of baseball goes Bavarian with a beer mug giveaway, post-game fireworks and more! Arrive early to get a $5 bratwurst on the promenade (all proceeds go to the Winnipeg Goldeyes Field of Dreams Foundation) and listen to some classic German tunes prior to the first pitch. Plus, games, contests and prizes throughout the evening too.
August 11 is all about celebrating the legend! - This special night is dedicated to Reggie Abercrombie, the American Association record-setting slugger and Hall of Fame inductee who helped the Fish win multiple titles during his six years with the club before he retired in 2019. To honour Abercrombie, they’ll be retiring his jersey, giving out bobbleheads, and capping it all off with some post-game fireworks.
Bark at the Park on August 12 – The cutest night in baseball is sure to get your whole family’s tail wagging – including your furry family members. For this much-loved annual game you can purchase a pair of tickets for you and your pup (here’s the link; dog tickets as you’ll see are just a few bucks), to see a night of baseball that will feature dog-themed entertainment like a pre-game “pooch parade” on the field and the amazingly named, ‘7th Inning Fetch.’ There will be 1,000 goodie bags for the first thousand pups through the gates and vets onsite from the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association. And of course, everywhere you’ll look in the stands you’ll see dogs watching the game – a gift in itself.
A few more theme games at a glance include: Shirt Off Our Backs Night (August 10); Country Night on July 27; Soirée Francophone on August 22; A Dance Party on August 24; A Churchill Trip Giveaway afternoon on August 13; and Fan Appreciation Night on August 25.
Find the full list here.
A few more (tasty) reasons why Goldeyes games are so great
The Goldeyes continue to provide a vast selection of unique local businesses into the offerings at Shaw Park.
For food, outside of smaller stands selling burgers, shakes, lemonade and such, you can get excellent barbecue from Bigg Smoak BBQ Smokehouse & Grill; great slices of ‘za on that legendary garlic-butter crust from A Little Pizza Heaven; a cheerful assortment of coffee drinks and more from Empty Cup; and even gluten-free curries, super flavourful noodle dishes and chicken fingers from Bodegoes. Here’s a map to find them all.
Looking for one of the best seats to watch the game while dining? Clay Oven has a location right within the ball park featuring a patio perched over the outfield. From here, you can dine on thali platters, hakka dishes and (our personal favourite) baingan Bombay – because a mouthful of slow roasted and spiced eggplant adds so much to watching line drives.
Plus, there’s the Craft Beer Corner! This addition from five years ago above the left side of the outfield has been a great showcase for the local beer scene, which now includes several Manitoba breweries located outside of the city.
The taps change after each homestand, and for the week of July 25-31 you can try pints from Fort Garry Brewing, Nonsuch, Oxus and Trans Canada. August 8-13 will feature Brandon, MB’s Black Wheat Brewing, Interlake Brewing Co. from Gimli, along with locals Fort Garry and Sookram’s. This home season concludes from August 21-27 with Dastardly Villain, Devil May Care, Little Brown Jug and Fort Garry.
And hey, if you want to catch all the local beer possible in one space, head to Shaw Park on July 22 for Ballpark Brewfest. The event will feature 24 local breweries to sample from, and each ticket comes with a food voucher for a slice from A Little Pizza Heaven or a burger or hot dog from Goldie’s Grill. Here’s the ticket link with more info.
