Opening Day Parade 2023 route, schedule and more: Everything you need to know

CINCINNATI (ENQUIRER) - Opening Day is Thursday, which means Cincinnati’s favorite unofficial holiday and the return of the baseball season is almost upon us.

The Reds play the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park at 4:10 p.m. Thursday. But before the game, there are the Opening Day festivities that will take over the city, from celebrations at bars to the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade.

Are you ready to (finally) celebrate the Reds’ home opener? Here’s everything you need to know.

When is Opening Day 2023?

The Reds will kick off their official 2023 season Thursday, March 30, against the Pirates.

The home game at Great American Ball Park will start at 4:10 p.m., and Reds pitcher Hunter Greene will be the team’s Opening Day starter.

When does the Reds’ Opening Day Parade start?

The Findlay Market Opening Day Parade begins at noon on Thursday, March 30, ahead of the home game against the Pirates.

Reds Opening Day parade route

The parade will begin at Findlay Market on Race Street. From there, it will travel straight down Race Street to Fifth Street, turning east on Fifth Street until the ending point at the Taft Theatre.

More than 160 individuals, businesses and organizations have signed up to march in the parade this year, including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Kroger, Chick-fil-A, Newport Aquarium, FC Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Who are the grand marshals for the Reds’ 2023 Opening Day parade?

Organizers have selected Danny Graves and Bronson Arroyo, both former pitchers for the Reds, to be the co-grand marshals for the 2023 parade.

Graves is the all-time saves leader for the Reds. He played in Cincinnati for eight years from 1997-2005.

Arroyo played in Cincinnati for nine seasons, earning an All-Star selection in 2006.

Both players will be inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame later this summer.

What to know about the Reds’ block party

The annual Reds Community Fund Charity Block Party will kick off at 11 a.m. Thursday on Joe Nuxhall Way, Freedom Way and Walnut Street ahead of the Opening Day game.

Entry to the block party is free of charge, and live music and entertainment will be provided. The event will occur rain or shine, according to block party organizers.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase. All alcoholic beverages are $5 each, and the event is cash only.

When is the Reds’ Kids Opening Day?

The Reds’ Kids Opening Day will be Saturday, April 1, ahead of the game against the Pirates at 4:10 p.m.

The celebration will kick off with a red carpet parade at 11:15 a.m. outside of Great American Ball Park. Children will line up outside the ballpark and along Joe Nuxhall Way with 15 local mascots. Reds players and coaches will walk the red carpet to greet fans around noon.

Fan Zone gates will open at 1:30 p.m., with Kids Opening Day activities in the First Star Fan Zone, including circus performers, face painters, mascots and more.

Children 14 and younger at the game will receive a Kids Opening Day Reds hat, while supplies last. They will also be able to line up and run the bases after the game, and Reds Heads kids club members will receive line priority.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.reds.com/KOD or call 513-381-REDS (7337).

This story was written by our media partners at The Cincinnati Enquirer.

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