The Braves’ 2019 Chop Fest will connect fans with their team before the buses head to Florida for spring training. The event, held Jan. 19 in and around SunTrust Park, includes a bevy of opportunities for interactions with players and coaches.
Beyond standard autograph sessions, the Braves are hosting Q&As and setting up photo stations with players. They’ll also have gaming stations, including three consoles which allow fans to play “MLB: The Show” with Braves players.
“It’s a big moment for us, the team and our fans,” said Greg Mize, senior director of marketing and innovation. “It signifies the start of the 2019 season. After Chop Fest, we roll into spring training and next thing you know we’ve started baseball.”
The Braves wanted an environment for children and adults, Mize said, and the variety of entertainment was aimed at such. There will be plentiful on-field activities inside SunTrust Park, including clinics in the bullpen and batting cages, where players and coaches can offer tips, along with whiffle ball inside the Coca-Cola Roxy.
Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, Ender Inciarte, Charlie Culberson, along with manager Brian Snitker, are among the Braves set to attend (subject to change). The Q&A panels and autograph sessions will occur throughout the day, with autographs for children ages 3-14 free.
In celebration of the Braves’ return to prominence, fans may also take pictures with the 2018 National League East pennant, which will be set up in the plaza.
Individual and season tickets will be available for purchase during the event. The Braves are offering a special “Chop Fest pack,” which includes four games, on Jan. 19 only.
The Chop Gala will be held the night before, Jan. 18, at the Roxy. The Braves are now offering general-admission tickets ($50 each) for the first time. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the event is scheduled for 7-9:30 p.m.
It’s a three-part event: The franchise’s 2018 awards, including Snitker’s manager of the year and Acuna’s rookie of the year, will be recognized along with fan-voted honors. Newcomers Josh Donaldson and Brian McCann will do a new-player round table with announcer Jim Powell, followed by a discussion with Freeman, Swanson, Inciarte and Culberson, hosted by announcer Ben Ingram.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos will offer his “state of the Braves” in a conversation with announcer Joe Simpson. The night concludes with the inductions of Terry Pendleton and Hugh Duffy into the Braves Hall of Fame. Attendees with receive a Pendleton lithograph.
The Braves are coming off a 90-win season and are trying to repeat as East champs for the first time since 2004-05. More information on Chop Fest can be found on the team's web site.
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