Minor League ballparks light up for holidays

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At Minor League ballparks all over the country, peanuts and Cracker Jack have been replaced by cocoa and candy canes. What follows is a by-no-means-comprehensive look at holiday spectacles that are currently taking place across the Minor League landscape, primarily in the South and Southeast.

Charlotte Knights – Light the Knights Festival (through Jan. 1)
Truist Field, located in the heart of uptown Charlotte, has one of Minor League Baseball’s most spectacular backdrops. The gleaming skyscrapers that loom beyond the ballpark add a layer of beauty and mystique to the annual Light the Knights Festival, which includes an ice rink, snow tubing, a holiday market and seasonal concessions. The full-sized ice rink will be put to good use on Jan. 13, as the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers will play the Rochester Americans in the first-ever Queen City Outdoor Classic.

Columbia Fireflies – Fireflies Holiday Lights (through Dec. 31)
Segra Park is already Minor League Baseball’s most luminescent location -- it hosts the Fireflies. The team’s second iteration of Fireflies Holiday Lights is a glow-up of epic proportions, featuring over one million LED lights strewn throughout the ballpark. Highlights include concourse train rides, visits with Santa and a Vendor Village offering a wide range of gift-purchasing opportunities.

Sugar Land Space Cowboys – Sugar Land Holiday Lights
2023 marks the 10th iteration of Sugar Land Holiday Lights, held at the Space Cowboys’ home of Constellation Field. This event incorporates an astounding number of lights – 3.5 million! Santa Claus, a 40-foot tree, holiday vendors and a snow slide can be found within. If you were one of the first 1,000 fans to show up on Dec. 14, then a Space Cowboys Santa Jersey was yours.

Rocket City Trash Pandas – Rocket City Christmas Light Show and Winter Wonderland (through Dec. 31)
The Christmas Light Show portion of this Toyota Field spectacular is a synchronized drive-through display, over a mile and a half in length. Winter Wonderland is in the ballpark itself. Highlights include a 15-foot snow globe as well as a Christmas tree sale (with proceeds going to local non-profit organizations).

Fayetteville Woodpeckers – Holiday Lights (through Dec. 23)
The Woodpeckers, like the Fireflies, play at a ballpark named Segra Stadium. Fayetteville’s light display includes a walk-through path on the warning track, and there are theme nights and giveaways aplenty. Upcoming events include holiday movie screenings, a holiday market and, a rarity for this time of year, fireworks.

Durham Bulls – Wool E.’s Winter Wonderland (through Dec. 31)
We’ll end where we began, with a Triple-A International League team based in North Carolina. Mascot Wool E. has lent his name to Durham Bulls Athletic Park’s first Winter Wonderland endeavor, a sprawling affair that includes a sledding hill, a concourse train and igloos in the field. You have to make a reservation in advance if you want an igloo, though. Igloos are in demand.

Have a question about Minor League Baseball? For the remainder of the offseason I’ll dedicate more space to you, the reader. Stay tuned, and get in touch: [email protected].