MLB began hosting a FanFest in the home city of its All-Star game in 1991. The event, which seems to grow in size and scope each year, is put on for the thousands of people who come to town for the Home Run Derby and/or the All-Star Game, as well as for locals who just want to partake in the baseball-related festivities.
This year Philadelphia put on one of the largest events ever. Hosted by Capital One for the fifth year in a row in the final year of a $125 million sponsorship with MLB, the now-named All-Star Village covered 500,000 square feet of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, or roughly 74% of the available space. Said differently, the All-Star Village used up nearly 95% of the center’s largest contiguous exhibit area.
According to a press release from MLB, this year’s Village is “modeled after the City of Neighborhoods, with different sections of the event portraying various Philadelphia neighborhoods, such as Center City, Fairmount, Fishtown, Old City and South Philly.” There were three baseball fields, batting and pitching experiences, multiple virtual reality attractions, a host of historical exhibits, merchandise sales ranging from Fanatics to New Era to Franklin Sports to Rawlings to Mitchell & Ness to various artists from around the country. In addition, there was food on offer from multiple MLB ballparks. The Village included stages for player interviews, and autographs sessions each day.
MLB’s press release listed more than 40 former players scheduled to attend. The MLB Network hosted players in a mock clubhouse, where fans listened amongst lockers filled with jerseys and equipment from/for many 2026 All-Stars.
The Village was open from July 11th through July 14th. While MLB predicted approximately 80,000 would attend this year’s event, more than 111,000 did so; most paying the $35 admission fee, although some early birds were able to purchase tickets for $10, and certain Capital One card members were able to get four complimentary admissions. The cost didn’t dissuade attendance, as this was most attended All-Star fan event since it was held in Los Angeles in 2022, but the Southern California version also had an outdoor section, which was not available in Philadelphia.
Much has been made of the fact that Commissioner Rob Manfred promised former Phillies owner David Montgomery that the 2026 All-Star Game would be held in Philadelphia to coincide with the nation’s 250th birthday. So this spectacle was seven years in the making. However, the actual set-up did not begin until July 1st, and everything was loaded out by Friday, three days after the event’s final day.
Forty-four domestic sponsors of MLB and 37 international partners activated during the week, which led to a new retail record for sales at the Village, and matched the 2022 record for All-Star week merchandise sales. In fact, sales were up 45% from 2025’s iteration, which took place in Atlanta. And it was not just in-person sales, as MLBShop.com saw an increase of 34% from the 2025 All-Star Week.
Not surprisingly, headwear was the most popular product category, making up nearly 25% of all products sold. Hard goods and jerseys were the next most popular.
Although MLB is a national organization with multinational partners, this year it worked with more than 40 different vendors from Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Further, approximately 1,500 local individuals were employed on a short-term basis to work alongside MLB staff. These were electricians, stagehands, musicians, docents, ticket-takers, and people in charge of overall crowd control at various entrances and exits to the All-Star Village.
Next year’s All-Star Game is scheduled to be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, but with the owners prepared to lock out the players when the current CBA expires on December 1st, there is a valid question as to whether or not the season will be played, let alone the All-Star Game. With Chicago on the verge of losing its football team, the city can ill-afford to lose a weeklong celebration that should draw at least 100,000 visitors who fill hotels and restaurants, and who come to town prepared to spend their disposable income.
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