Preakness organizers ban outside drinks in the infieldhttp://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/02/02/daily43.htmlRock and Roll Hall of Famer ZZ Top and beach volleyball will replace beer cans as the highlight of the 134th Preakness infield party.
Organizers of the Preakness Stakes on Thursday ended a longstanding tradition allowing patrons to bring their own beer onto the infield at Pimlico Race Course. As the Baltimore Business Journal reported Wednesday , the Maryland Jockey Club will move toward more of a ?festival? atmosphere at the May 16 event that will include ZZ Top, rock band Buckcherry and professional beach volleyball.
Sixteen-ounce beers will now be sold for $3.50. Tickets to the infield will remain flat in 2009 at $50 each.
?Change is inevitable,? said Tom Chuckas, president of the Maryland Jockey Club, at a press conference Thursday. ?Our goal at the Maryland Jockey Club is to upgrade the infield experience.?
Preakness is the second leg of horse racing?s Triple Crown. The infield party draws more than 90,000 revelers annually.
Chuckas said the decision to ban all outside beverages, especially beer, was partly a ?control issue.? The infield has been under fire for many years following incidents of party-goers throwing beer cans and running on top of porta-potties.
The Jockey Club made a similar move last year by banning racing fans from bringing in alcohol to the grandstand at Pimlico on Preakness day. Attendance in the grandstand dropped by around 10,000 people in 2008, organizers said.
Coolers and backpacks containing food only will be permitted in the infield.
?Stopping the BYOB, as I call it, is a more positive step for the masses,? Chuckas said, adding that the corporate side of the infield will remain unchanged.
By adding bands and volleyball, Chuckas said the Preakness should be able to draw more fans in their mid-20s to early 30s, as opposed to college kids.
Seth Hurwitz, chairman of concert promoter I.M.P., was charged with bringing the bands to the Preakness.
?I think the potential is here to make this as desirable as the Super Bowl halftime event,? Hurwitz said Thursday.
A third local band will be announced at a later date.
In addition to the music, Elkridge-based Corrigan Sports Enterprises is overseeing the professional women?s beach volleyball doubles tournament taking place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Preakness day.
The company will bring in more than 240 tons of sand to construct an Olympic-size court. There will also be seating around the court.
Preakness officials will also set up a 40-by-80-foot tent on the infield. The tent will house an authentic NASCAR vehicle, RockStar Guitar Hero games and four oxygen bars serving flavored 02.
Jockey Club officials also based the new infield model after the Virgin Mobile Festival, which was held at Pimlico the last two years and did not allow fans to bring in outside beverages.
?We really believe at the Maryland Jockey Club we?re going to put on a heck of a deal,? Chuckas said. ?And for your dollar you?re going to get one heck of an experience.?
He said the new Preakness format has nothing to do with Jockey Club parent Magna Entertainment's bid for slots machines at Laurel Park.
