While you may associate a baseball field with a leafy suburb in the United States, the Major League has now become a frequent fixture in London. After all – you know what they say? If you build it, they will come.
That saying was definitely (definitely!) referring to the London baseball faithful and—just as it did for Kevin Costner—it worked! The fans are flocking to the MLB and they’ve also got a free festival to enjoy at Trafalgar Square alongside the game.
What’s on at the free Major League Baseball Festival?
New York Mets take on the Philidelphia Phillies across two games this weekend, so for anyone that doesn’t get tickets for the clash at the London Stadium, this is obviously a prime spot to catch the game. Keen viewers can see all the action on three big screens, with DJs taking you through the day and Aimee Fuller and Max Whittle hosting the day; running entertainment and making sure plenty of people leave with prizes.
Even if you are heading to the game, ambling over to Trafalgar Square during the non-playing hours is sure to be well worth your time, with a Home Run Derby between Baseball Legends Chase Utley and Daniel Murphy and Gladiators – Apollo and Fire in The Cage. It’s all in the name of sports relief and takes place on the Friday evening from 6pm.
You can also have a game yourself, with the Batting Boot Camp giving you 10 batting cages to try your hand at and coaches to give you tips on honing your swing. Once you’re done, you can sift through merch, merch, and more merch, with lots to browse and lines on the London series as well as caps from all 30 MLB teams.
What food can you expect? Well, it’s a series of USA-adjacent numbers around here folks with unfuckwithable burgers from Nanny Bills (it’s over for everyone when the Dalston Dip grips America, trust me); classic numbers from Deluxe Dogs (the food we all clamber for when watching US sport for some reason); Philly Cheesesteaks from Tribeca Deli (since the team is in town); Vegan delights from Feed The Village (Philly cheese taco… yes please); Dan Good Pizza providing the slices (can never go wrong); and Hackney Gelato providing the only dessert we could possibly digest after all of that indulgent goodness.
Speaking on the event, Ben Ladkin, Managing Director at MLB Europe, said: “We’re thrilled to be returning to Trafalgar Square for what will be a truly unmissable weekend in an iconic London location.
“Last year the response was incredible with thousands joining us to experience the festival atmosphere. Whether you’re a fan or a newcomer to baseball we have something for you – there’ll be food, music, entertainment, and games activities for all ages.”
The MLB Trafalgar Square takeover takes place on June 7-9 and is completely free to enter. Find out more about it here.