After a full offseason of stadium upgrades, there’s one more coming to Camden Yards — although it won’t be completed until after the All-Star break.
The Orioles announced the construction of a new bar area near the flag court in right field. The space, which is sponsored by Corona, will have a wrap-around bar that allows fans to order from the flag court or from Eutaw Street. It’s just one of the multiple changes at Camden Yards that emphasize a social, standing-room aspect that many modern ballparks have.
A team spokesperson said the flag court will still be open during construction, although the space for fans will be reduced.
There was already a smaller bar on the flag court. This, the Orioles said, will be larger.
Baltimore also created a social area beneath the center field scoreboard, and the team redid the club level bars.
Orioles president of business operations Catie Griggs in September said that the social areas bring a new dimension to one of the most prized ballparks in baseball.
“I think it’s going to be really transformational,” Griggs said. “Camden Yards is an icon, so the last thing we want to be doing is making changes that are going to materially and structurally negatively impact all the things that make the ballpark great. But I do think there are certain experiences that we know our fans want and enjoy that we want to be able to deliver.”
The announced flag court bar area has that transformation in mind. Many modern ballparks have a 360-degree view of the field for fans as they walk through the concourse. At Camden Yards, the infield concourse is closed off from the field, so the expanded standing-room social options in the outfield could elevate the experience for a fan who prefers to move about during the game.
In addition to the new bar, fans will be able to get into Camden Yards earlier this season to watch the home team take batting practice.
The Orioles announced that gates will open two-and-a-half hours before first pitch for every night game from Monday to Thursday, excluding Aug. 20. Fans with tickets for those games can enter via gates A and H. The fans can access the outfield bleachers and Eutaw Street, the flag court and the statue plaza.
The first look at all the updates at Camden Yards will come Sunday when the Orioles host the Washington Nationals in an exhibition game. The most noticeable change will be the videoboard in center field. And on the back of that scoreboard will be an Under Armour advertisement featuring shortstop Gunnar Henderson.