In an effort to remind fans they are moving back to Tropicana Field this season, the Rays will stage their annual Fan Fest just outside the stadium that is being repaired following damage from Hurricane Milton.

The “Fan Fest Block Party” will be held Feb. 14 from 1-5 p.m. on 16th Street South, which is on the west side of the stadium in downtown St. Petersburg.

The team also announced a rebranded seating area and social space above leftfield that will offer all-inclusive “ballpark fare” food, beer, wine and soft drinks.

Tickets will start at $49 for seats in the new MaintenX SkyDeck that will be redesigned with graphics of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and LED lighting.

More than 1,000 tickets will be available per game, with prices higher for certain premium opponents and dates, similar to their usual dynamic ticket pricing. The all-inclusive offer won’t be available for some special event dates, such as dog days.

The Rays had a good response last year to a smaller version of an all-inclusive area at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the Yankees’ spring/minor-league stadium where they played while the Trop was being repaired.

“We had some products (at Steinbrenner Field) at certain price points that we didn’t have the inventory or the concept in place at Tropicana Field. So there were some great learnings from there,” Rays chief business officer Bill Walsh said. “I think this kind of entry-level, all-inclusive area was really, really popular. We found a good price point that we could make it work at the Trop and are excited to debut it.”

Walsh said the deck area is “a really fun place that we’ve always wanted to do something more there. So, this is a nice opportunity for us.”

With the Trop damaged heavily by the October 2024 storm, the Rays moved last year’s Fan Fest outside to the St. Pete Pier.

They opted for the street party concept this time to spread the word and provide a visual reminder that the team will be back at its long-time home, with the first game April 6 vs. the Cubs.

“There’s a lot of curiosity from folks, and there’s a real lack of awareness, I think, of what exactly is going on (repairing the Trop) and the enormity of it,” Walsh said. “So we want to do everything we can to kind of reinforce that, ‘Hey, we’re going to be back here at the Trop. It’s going to be bigger and better than ever.’

“This is an opportunity to kind of, literally, bring everybody to the building. Even if we can’t go inside, you can kind of rally around it and have a really fun, festive atmosphere right next to it.”

The Fan Fest will include many of the usual events, including player autograph signings; family-friendly activities; a panel discussion with team officials; mascot appearances; and a charity yard sale of team memorabilia, bobbleheads, hats, shirts and game-used merchandise. Tickets for autograph signings will be available starting on Feb. 5, with season members getting first crack.

Admission will be free, but fans must claim a ticket via raysbaseball.com/FanFest. Parking in some team lots also will be free. The nearby pop-up team store also will open.

Information will be available at the event on other new and enhanced seating areas at the Trop. In addition, the team is expected to announce soon the list of promotional giveaway items and detail other improvements to the stadium.

Assistant hitting coach added

Will Bradley, who spent the past three seasons as a minor-league hitting coordinator, was promoted to assistant hitting coach.

In the new role, Bradley will split time between the big-league team and Triple-A Durham, focusing primarily on 40-man roster players with the idea that they will get consistent messaging at both levels.

Bradley’s promotion completes manager Kevin Cash’s 2026 staff, which includes two other new members: Ozzie Timmons, who returns to his previous job as assistant hitting coach in place of Brady North; and Corey Dickerson, who takes over as first-base coach for Michael Johns, who joined the Nationals as bench coach.

Also, Jan. 15 marks the start of the international signing period, where teams typically stock up on teenaged prospects from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The Rays have a $7,357,100 bonus pool, which is the second-highest tier, from which to operate.