Today, the Chicago White Sox dropped the first bit of detailed information we’ve seen so far about SoxFest for 2025. According to the release, the event is now called SoxFest Live, and fans can expect a reimagined, fan-focused experience. Long gone, it seems, are the good old days of three days and two nights of a jam-packed, fun-filled fan fest taking over the Palmer House Hilton or Hyatt Regency Chicago for an entire weekend. Sorry, friends; no more late-night bar chats with Bill Melton for you.

The new event is from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, January 24, and Saturday, January 25, 2025, at the historic Ramova Theater in the Bridgeport neighborhood. There will be a mixture of entertainment and conversations with current and former players as well as front office staff. However, no specific names were mentioned except for new manager, Will Venable.

Tickets go on sale next week on Tuesday, November 26, at noon CT at the Ramova Theatre website. General admission will cost you $56, and if you’d like an upgraded MVP experience (limited availability), get ready to shell out $225. General admission gives you bare bones access to the on-stage programming and some meet-and-greet opportunities. The MVP Experience allows you to attend the White Sox Black Carpet, access to a premium lounge area, light appetizers, a private meet-and-greet session, and four lower-level tickets to a select 2025 White Sox home game.

Fans also have the option of two add-on experiences for additional fees, of course. First, if you have kids interested in engaging in hands-on baseball, for $35, they can attend a clinic at the ComEd Rec Center from 2-3:30 p.m. either day. They’ll receive a t-shirt and rotate through stations that focus on hitting, pitching, and fielding. There will also be autograph and photo opportunities with unidentified select White Sox players. Second, for an unspecified fee, fans can attend a special one-hour After Party that occurs immediately after the 9 p.m. conclusion of the main event. White Sox VIPs will attend the reception, and fans can enjoy food, drinks, activities, and games.

A message to the SoxFest email requesting clarification on the pricing has so far gone unanswered. It appears that, unlike previous SoxFest events, there are no options for muli-day purchases, so it seems that both the Friday and Saturday offerings will be the same.

A little digging around on the FAQ page also spells out pretty clearly that this is definitely not the typical “meet your favorite players and get their autographs” type of event. The format’s focus is on the live programming. Additionally, due to constraints of the theater’s rules, bats, balls, and other memorabilia are not permitted, and there is also a 12″ x 12″ x 6″ bag policy. So, if you’re hoping to snag an autograph or two, you’ll need to stock up on player photos and baseball cards.

After seeing the announcement, I posted on BlueSky and asked fans how they felt about the new format. So far, it seems like a mixed bag. Some folks are excited about the venue, but some are worried that it might be too small, while out-of-town fans wonder if it’s worth the trip.

Personally, I’m going to try my best to hold out judgment about this new format and attend it with an open mind. I had the fortune to go to many SoxFest events in prior years. For those fans who never had a chance to go to one, that’s a bummer. I thought SoxFest was indeed one of the things that the organization had executed really well. When I shared the details of this year’s fest with my teenage son, who will be a first-timer, he was not at all impressed. The idea of sitting in a theater and listening to people talk about baseball did not resonate with him. So, it will surely be interesting to see if the Sox hit or miss the target on this one.

I’ll provide a complete evaluation after attending the event, and if you end up going, reach out and let me know!

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Photo: Chicago White Sox Instagram