Opening day for the Cardinals is Thursday, March 26, but how much could it cost you to attend the game?
The Tampa Bay Rays will play the Cardinals at 3:15 p.m. opening day, and festivities will include a pep rally before the game and an appearance by the fan-favorite Budweiser clydesdales.
There’s a new ticket option that includes unlimited food this season, as well as regular tickets available for less than $50.
We’ve rounded up pricing for tickets, concessions, parking and transportation for opening day. Here’s what to know.
How much do opening day tickets cost?
The cheapest tickets available for the opening day game, as of March 11, are $49 for a seat at the infield terrace or first base terrace or a spot in the standing room section. The priciest seats available for opening day are $834 for an all-inclusive ticket with close views of the game.
Less expensive tickets are generally available for regular season games, with options starting at $22 for the game Saturday, March 28 against the Rays.
Concessions pricing
A Cardinals Value Menu is available at four of the stadium’s concession stands, including “Gashouse Grill” at Field Level near section 132 and Loge Level near section 233, as well as “Ballpark Favorites” at Field Level near section 162 and “Dizzy’s Diner” at Terrace Level near section 446.
The value menu features a hot dog, soda, popcorn, nachos or water for $5 each.
There’s also a new, lower-cost ticket available this season that comes with unlimited food. The “Coca-Cola Unlimited” package includes a ticket to sit in Big Mac Land along with unlimited access to a select menu, although you can only select up to three items on each trip to the concession stand.
The Coca-Cola Unlimited package menu includes soft drinks, hot dogs, chicken tenders, bratwurst, nachos, fries, popcorn, kettle chips, peanuts and ice cream cups.
Coca-Cola Unlimited tickets start at $29, but vary based on the game and date. For opening day, Coca-Cola Unlimited tickets are going for $159.50 as of March 11.
If you’re looking to try something more unique, Busch Stadium is home to several local and chain restaurant stands, including Session Taco, Crumbl Cookies, Intentional Wok, Freddy’s Frozen Custard, Mayo Ketchup by Plantain Girl and more.
The St. Louis Cardinals site doesn’t include pricing information for many other food options, but it does say specialty canned beer is available for $11.
If you’re looking to save money on food, Busch Stadium allows you to bring your own food and factory sealed nonalcoholic beverages. Size restrictions apply to bags.
What about parking or public transportation?
Depending on where you live and how you choose to travel, it may run you anywhere from $5 to $30 or more to get to Busch Stadium for a game.
The MetroLink offers tickets for $2.50 each way or a $5 day pass. This might be a good option for those near stations in Belleville, Swansea, Fairview Heights or St. Louis.
St. Clair County Transit previously offered a shuttle service from St. Clair Square to Busch Stadium, the Redbird Express, but after switching to private ownership and increasing prices, it’s no longer in operation.
If you’re willing to make your way through downtown St. Louis traffic on gameday, parking options are available from about $9.25 to $55, depending on distance to the stadium. The lower-cost options involve walking almost 2 miles round-trip. These prices are from parking website SpotHero, but if you don’t want to book online, you’re likely to find cash-only lots for various prices around the stadium, as well.
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Meredith Howard is a service journalist with the Belleville News-Democrat. She is a Baylor University graduate and has previously freelanced with the Illinois Times and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
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