Baseball season is back and as themed as ever in the city. The Edmonton Riverhawks will play their home opener at the Re/Max Field on May 29. That night, the team will partner with the Kihewin Cree Nation for a pre-game Indigenous Celebration and a Cree-language broadcast through the night. This kicks off a 2026 season filled with theme nights for every one of the 27 home games. “We’ve kind of got something for everybody this year,” said Riverhawks marketing director Maddie Murdoch. “We’ve got some kid themes, we’ve got wizards, wands and magic nights. We’ve got a Margaritaville beach party night this year, women-and-girls-in-sports night, all kinds of things.” May 31, for example, dogs and cats get in free to watch dachshunds, basset hounds and corgis race each other before the game for Paws in the Park. On June 11, theatre kids will take over – the Citadel Theatre and Edmonton Fringe kids, that is, with characters, performances and free admission for any youth wearing a theatre character costume. For Pride Night on June 13, fans are coming to the cottage. That game will pull from beloved Canadian series Heated Rivalry and feature drag queen races and a Shane and Ilya lookalike contest. Weekly promotions will feature Toonie Tuesdays, Thirsty Thursdays, Fireworks Fridays and Barking Bleachers Sundays. “I think the key to growing attendance and growing the love for baseball in the city is finding ways to engage people outside of that sports community,” Murdoch said of the promotions. “Maybe you’re not the biggest baseball fan in the world, but you want to come and sit in the sun and enjoy some fun entertainment.” The Riverhawks are celebrating five seasons and a history of jam-packed theme calendars. It appears to work for the franchise, too: last season was a record-breaking one with nearly 132,000 attendees between May and August. Last year was also the first time in team history the Riverhawks earned a spot in the North Division Championship. They were ultimately knocked out of the West Coast League playoffs by the Washington-based Bellingham Bells in August. This year, the city is offering free transit and a shuttle between downtown and the Re/Max field to make up for housing developments planned for the parking lot next to the ballpark. A full list of promotions and team schedule can be found on the Edmonton Riverhawks website.
