Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The biggest addition to Wrigley Field this year is the championship flag that will be hoisted in center field on opening night.

That’s the only enhancement that really matters to most Cubs fans, though they’ll also get a new gate on the west side of the park, a Starbucks, a plaza where they can eat or drink if they’d rather watch the games on flat screens than from the seats they paid for, and a new bullpen that they won’t be able to see.

A relatively mild winter has helped keep Phase 3 of the Wrigley renovation moving along, but a premium club in the section behind home plate is not scheduled to open until 2018.

Here’s the latest on what to expect at Wrigley in 2017, besides gridlock on game days due to construction of a new hotel on Clark Street and a new entertainment complex on Addison Street, south of the park.

Plaza at Wrigley Field

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on opening night, April 10, and the Plaza at Wrigley will be open for fans that have tickets to the game. The first event, Craft and Cuisine, will be held on May 13-14 and will include an admission charge. Over the course of the year the Cubs will have free events that include six movie nights and a farmers market.

Bullpen

The Cubs have moved the bullpens from the field to underneath the bleachers, where relief pitchers will be able to stay warm in the spring and cool in the summer without being able to hear fans encouraging or abusing them from a few feet away. The Cubs say the move was made for safety reasons, though they’ve also added to the revenue steam with new seats down the left- and right-field lines.

The Cubs players and staff aren’t all on board with the decision, but are going to have to get used to it.

“There are some parts we’re going to have to figure out,” pitching coach Chris Bosio said. “Wrigley is so unique, a lot like San Francisco, because you’re right there with the crowd, and we think that’s a huge home-field advantage for us. We’ve got to turn it into a home-field advantage no matter where the bullpens are.”

Promotions

The most popular promotions figure to be the replica championship banner given out to the first 30,000 fans on April 12, which is also the night of the ring ceremony, and a replica World Series trophy for the first 10,000 fans on April 15. They’ll also have giveaways like beach towels (June 3), fedoras (Aug. 2) and a bobblehead depicting the final out of Game 7 (May 20). Perhaps the most clever giveaway is the mini chalkboard version of the outer bleacher wall for the first 5,000 children on June 4.

Food

The Cubs have not revealed all their food options yet, but among the new items include Pork & Mindy’s, a local barbecue joint co-founded by celebrity chef Jeff Mauro. The restaurant’s sandwiches will be available in the bleachers along with popular returnees Hot Doug’s and Buona Beef.

Parking

Surge parking rates at meters around Wrigley will be in effect on game days and special events starting this year. Unless you want to be gouged by the city or the neighbors, better to take public transportation.

http://embed.sendtonews.com/player2/embedcode.php?fk=1K5jh214&cid=4591

More Top Picks Timers Outdoors