After many other MLB teams’ releases, the Blue Jays have finally released their 2025 events and promotions calendar. The calendar and promotional offerings aim to ignite fans’ passion ahead of the upcoming season and the Jays have attempted to add new promotions to entice new audiences over the years.
So, here are the good, the bad and the missed opportunities from this year’s calendar:
City Connect Fridays
The Blue Jays have leaned into the night-mode City Connect jerseys this season after launching them for the first time in May 2024, one of the last teams in the big leagues to have a dedicated jersey.
This year, the team will be hosting City Connect jersey Friday nights to make the most use of the newer jerseys. The jerseys have been a hit since their launch and will stand to benefit from more continuous attention from both the team and the fans. This is also a perfectly great example of matching the jersey theme since it was inspired by Toronto’s night scene and I think they are one of the better jerseys compared to other team’s City Connect offerings.
UNLOCKED: Our 2025 Promotions & Events Schedule
The FULL schedule is out now!
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) February 22, 2025
The first giveaway will be a Bo Bichette layered replica jersey. set to launch on March 28th – the day after the Home Opener. A bomber jacket will follow on April 18th and a Chris Bassitt replica basketball jersey will be given away on May 2nd. Rounding out the group is a night mode hat on May 16th, a Vladimir Guerrero City Connect Hockey Jersey – similar to the Springer jersey last year – on May 30th, a Jose Berrios jersey on July 18th, a bucket hat on August 15th, and a rugby shirt giveaway on September 26th on Fan Appreciation weekend.
Hello Kitty – Special Ticket
The Blue Jays are also bringing back the Hello Kitty giveaway day this year, but this time, the giveaway will be a Hello Kitty backpack instead of a bobblehead. This will be on April 19th.
Hello Kitty giveaways have been common throughout MLB teams except the Blue Jays, who have not hopped aboard that train for a least a few seasons. Given that Hello Kitty is a fun and relatively safe marketing tactic to rely on, Toronto is right to keep this promotion on board. If the Blue Jays can bring Hello Kitty to throw the first pitch as well, that’s icing on the cake.
Various Event Days – New and Old
Toronto added a few new giveaways to jazz up the promotion calendar this season with days like Minecraft Day, Barbie Game Day and Peanuts Day to engage more fans and provide more new, fun merchandise to the fan base. These days will certainly cater to a wide range of fans and could have the potential to reach casual or non-baseball fans as well since they rely on pop culture phenomenon.
Anthony Santander Switch-Hitter Bobblehead
The Toronto Blue Jays are sending out various bobbleheads this year but one of the most intriguing is the Anthony Santander switch hitter bobblehead. It features the newly acquired Jays slugger on both sides of the plate but the catch is that fans will not know which bobblehead they receive until they open it, like a mystery surprise of sorts. This will be given away to the first 15,000 fans on August 13th.
Work From Dome
Alas, the Work From Dome days are back again this year.
While some may enjoy working from the baseball stadium on Wednesday afternoons, the atmosphere isn’t exactly suited for any work if you need to be in meetings due to the loud volume of music and the large amount of distraction. These days would be perfect for any remote workers who don’t have many calls or meeting obligations though they do appeal to some demographic.
Okay so this whole work from the dome campaign. Who is wanting that? Why are the blue jays always playing day games? Makes no sense
— Ryan Wedge (@Rwedgie) April 3, 2024
Add in that the Jays only won one game last season of the six games where Work From Dome was featured, it might have been time tor retire this one.
Bark in the Park
The Blue Jays have weirdly been less enthusiastic about other promotion days, unlike other teams in the major league, and that shows in the lack of Back in the Park Day.
Maybe it’s the logistical and administrative issue that prevents the stadium from bringing pets, but Bark in the Park is a huge missed opportunity to create new content, and also open up to even more fans who are dying to bring their furry pets to the stadium. Maybe one day.
Any Opportunity to Take Advantage of Changing Walkup Songs
Many MLB teams have engaged in opportunities to make a fun walkup song list for players on a few occasions. For example, the Los Angeles Dodgers have let players’ partners or wives choose their walkup songs and have encouraged players to pick Taylor Swift walkup songs for a Taylor Swift Day.
Changing up walkup songs a few times in a season can be a great way to create a fun fan experience. It can also offer a more human side of each player and add more to their stories, which can help create a stronger bond between fans and the team in the long run.
Honourable Mentions
Daulton Varsho Gold Glove Bobblehead Giveaway, George Springer Replica Football Jersey Giveaway Night, and Jeff Hoffman Bobblehead Inspired by Thanos – Just Chef’s Kiss for themes and these nights will be extremely popular, with endlessly long lineups.
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