The Tempe Innings & Extra Innings Festivals
What could be better than watching spring training in the Phoenix area in late February, than combining it with a two-day music festival?
And what could be even better than that, than combining spring training with two music festivals?
Tempe residents and visitors alike will find out on February 23rd and 24th, 2024, and again on March 1st and 2nd, when the Innings Festival and the Extra Innings Festival come to the city while the Cactus League season is underway.
This year marks the ninth year since the festival began at Tempe Beach Park, and the eighth year it will occur at Diablo Stadium. It is also the first year of the Extra Innings Festival.
What Makes the Innings Festival Special?
The Innings Festival is a musical extravaganza that turns the 9,000 seats of Diablo Stadium into a two-day marathon concert venue.
The 2024 lineup of musical artists features 18 established and upcoming performers and groups covering genres including rock, country, hip hop and more. Among them, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Greta Van Fleet on Friday the 23rd and Macklemore and Third Eye Blind on Saturday the 24th.
The Extra Innings Festival, located at Tempe Beach Park & Arts Park, will feature 21 performing artists and groups, including Chris Stapleton, Elle King, the Dave Matthews Band, Noah Kahan, and Sheryl Crow.
More Than Music Awaits You
The Innings Festival is more than a music festival. When you are not taking in the music, you can check out everything else that will be there for you, including a rock climbing wall, a zip line, and a Ferris wheel. When you are hungry or thirsty, a panoply of food trucks, concession stands, and bar and beverage choices are all right at hand.
Oh, and remember the professional baseball Cactus League going on at the same time?
For passionate baseball fans, an added draw of the Innings Festival and the Extra Innings Festival is that several players will be taking time from the practice field to meet with fans at the concert.
If you are a baseball lover who also loves music, then the Innings Festival or the Extra Innings Festival is where you want to be.
Helpful Information About the 2024 Innings Festival
Here are some pointers to help make sure your experience at the Innings Festival or the Extra Innings Festival is a smooth and enjoyable one:
How to Get There
The Innings Festival offers resources to help you make your travel plans to Tempe. Once you have arrived, Tempe Diablo Stadium is located at 2050 E. Rio Salado Parkway. It is easily accessible by car, or if you are visiting and staying at a local hotel or motel, taxi and rideshare services are also available to get you there.
If you take a car, your admission to the festival includes free parking at the stadium.
Where to Buy Tickets
You can buy tickets in advance for the Innings Festival here.
For the Extra Innings Festival, you can purchase tickets here. You can also purchase tickets at the gate.
Tickets can be for one day or both days. The starting price for a one-day general admission ticket is $160. From that amount, depending on whether you want to attend for both days of the festival, where your seat is (the left field bleachers and the centerfield decks cost more), and whether you want to add additional VIP and Platinum-level amenities up to a two-day cabana reservation, you can spend up to $17,000.
Where to Stay
Tempe offers many lodging options if you are visiting the Innings Festival from out of town. The Innings Festival website includes hotel reservation options for the February and March concerts. Other options, including Airbnb and camping facilities, are also plentiful in the Tempe local area.
See You at the Festival
The Innings Festival and now the Extra Innings Festival are the ultimate intersection between enjoying outdoor music in the same vicinity as professional baseball spring training and spring games.
This combination has become so popular that this year the Innings Festival is expanding not only to include the Extra Innings Festival, but is also making the leap later in March to add Tampa, Florida––another popular baseball spring training locale.
Even if you are not a baseball fan, the Innings Festival’s music alone promises something you’ll like and can be the starting point for a longer vacation stay in the Tempe area.
To learn more about the Innings Festival and the Extra Innings Festival, here are links to their pages on Facebook and Instagram.
