Rays playoff game, other St. Pete events bring crowd surge
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Downtown St. Petersburg prepares for a massive crowd Saturday as playoff baseball, soccer, concerts and an Oktoberfest celebration happen simultaneously.
Busy weekend in St. Petersburg
What we know:
Four major events will bring 50,000 people to downtown St. Petersburg on Saturday. The Tampa Bay Rays face the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the Division Series at 6:30 p.m. at Tropicana Field, drawing an expected 40,000 baseball fans.
At the same time, the Tampa Bay Rowdies play a 7:30 p.m. soccer game at Al Lang Stadium, expected to pull in 5,000 attendees. The Mahaffey Theater hosts a concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, adding 2,000 fans each night. Meanwhile, Piertoberfest runs from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday at the St. Pete Pier, bringing 3,000 festival goers to the waterfront.
Downtown parking options mapping
Dig deeper:
Tropicana Field parking lots are prepaid only, meaning drivers without a prepaid digital receipt must find alternative options downtown. Ten parking lots are open near the stadium in addition to the main stadium lots.
A downtown shuttle service connects visitors directly to Tropicana Field. The SunRunner bus route is also making continuous loops from the beach to the stadium and through downtown. The St. Petersburg Police Department released a parking garage map to help drivers navigate traffic.
Local leaders prepare strategy
What they're saying:
"We are used to working with large-scale events like this. It's a little unique we have so many at the same time," said Asst. Chief Michael Kovacsev of St. Pete police. "We will work through it. We always do. The key thing is come down early, enjoy yourself, and be patient."
St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch highlighted the city's growth and recovery.
"This is the modern St. Pete. It's activated," said Welch. "There is activity all over the city, no matter what your interest is. It speaks to the resiliency of our city. Two years ago, the Trop was destroyed and a lot of folks thought we wouldn't play baseball there ever again."
Weekend police deployment in downtown
What's next:
Police are stationing 80 officers around Tropicana Field, while dozens more will monitor soccer, concert and festival sites. Law enforcement teams will also fly surveillance drones over downtown traffic corridors to manage congestion.
City officials strongly advise everyone heading downtown on Saturday to arrive early to avoid gridlock.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Asst. Chief Michael Kovacsev, who spoke on traffic safety plans, as well as Mayor Ken Welch.