What White Sox fans can expect from newly rebranded SoxFest Live

SoxFest is back, Chicago White Sox fans.

The annual fan event has been on the shelf for several years, but the first edition since 2020 is coming in January, albeit in a much different format than in the past.

The newly rebranded “SoxFest Live” will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport. It makes for a more intimate event than it’s been in the past and offers a different experience that might either bug or excite fans, depending on the biggest reasons why they loved past iterations of SoxFest.

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So what’s it going to look like?

While exact programming is still in the works, we got a rundown of what fans can expect from White Sox public relations director Sheena Quinn, who joined our CHGO White Sox Podcast on Monday.

Here’s a transcript of that conversation.

Was the White Sox’ intention for SoxFest always to buck the conventional convention and go to something live like this? Or is this something that developed after considering the traditional convention idea?

Quinn: “We’ve missed SoxFest on the calendar as much as everybody else. We haven’t had it since 2020, so when we were talking about bringing it back, it felt like we had to do it differently. We wanted to think about ways that were really rooted at home, but also doing it in a different way that brought a new sort of experience to the fans. And doing it right here at Ramova, a couple blocks from the ballpark, felt like a really fun way to do it. Tyler and the whole crew at Ramova, they’re incredible people to work with. It feels like the right way to bring SoxFest back to the fans.”

People are curious about what this new format is going to look like. People are used to the multiple floors at the Hilton or the big room you guys had at McCormick Place. This seems like it’s going to be a little smaller, a little more intimate. What are the two nights going to look like?

Quinn: “If you haven’t been to Ramova Theatre, it’s a beautiful, historic theater. We’re really excited about the fact that we’re hosting it in a historic-theater setting. It’s going to feel much different than where we were in years past. SoxFests of the past were certainly about autographs, about the masses coming through and really meeting people. This year’s going to be about exclusive conversations with our fans and really meaningful connections with everybody that’s in attendance. You can expect live music, live performances and, of course, conversations with our baseball leadership, members of the clubhouse, our new coaching staff. It’s going to be a great way to see and hear from the people that you want to hear from most in the 2025 season.”

Speaking of the interaction between fans and players, whether it’s current players or former players, how’s that going to work with a fan who maybe does want to get an autograph or take a picture with somebody?

Quinn: “There’s still going to be opportunities for meet-and-greets. We definitely have not lost that feeling with the new SoxFest Live concept. We’re expanding out. The people at Ramova Theatre are so wonderful to us, they’re allowing us to move a little bit into the beer garden and actually put a heated tent up, and we’re going to make those spaces all about the meet-and-greets for fans. So you’ll still have an opportunity to meet the players and the Sox greats that will be in attendance in a meet-and-greet style, it’s just not going to be in the typical format people remember of autograph tables. It’s more about shaking hands and taking photos and having an opportunity to get an autograph signed, it’s just not only going to be about that.”

It’s coming up, the 20th year (anniversary of the 2005 World Series team). Will there be some type of recognition, some of those players in attendance at SoxFest Live?

Quinn: “We’re planning to kick off the whole 2025 season with our entire 125th anniversary celebration. That’s really kind of the informal start for us for the start of the 2025 season, so certainly big milestones like the 2005 World Series championship is something we’re planning to celebrate at SoxFest Live with some special guest appearances. There will be more details about that to come closer to the event.”

Chris Getz and Will Venable will be speaking at SoxFest Live. Do you think they’ll be speaking on both days, or can people expect unique experiences on the Friday and the Saturday?

Quinn: “We’re still mapping out the details with the programming, which will be announced closer to the event date, but there’s going to be opportunities to hear from both of them. I think everybody’s going to have a chance to ask their questions and hear directly from Chris and Will and all the members from the baseball leadership. It’s not going to be the same show twice, though.”

The Ramova Theatre is a cool looking spot, but what is the capacity like? We mentioned some of the huge spaces that SoxFests past have been held in. How do you compare the number of fans who will be able to fill in for this event versus the SoxFests of the past?

Quinn: “It’s definitely going to be a more intimate setting. The capacity is going to be smaller than what it was at previous events, the venues that you mentioned. But Ramova – they hold a lot of events, they hold a lot of shows there – so I think we’re going to be comfortable with the number of people who will be over there. It will be, probably, around 1,500 each of the days. It’s a nice spot, but it’s still going to feel like that more comfortable setting for getting to meet people and getting to meet some of the leadership.”

Speaking of the theatre, was it the goal from the beginning to move this to somewhere that was really close to the ballpark so that you’re in the neighborhood? Was that something you guys set out to do from the beginning, or did it just kind of work out that way?

Quinn: “We talked about different venues. We explored a lot of different venues. We took a look at what we wanted the experience to be like from the attendee side. When we went to Ramova, it truly felt like the right fit for us. When you walk through the lobby there – the group that has invested so much in this piece of Bridgeport, that has shown so much love and care to restore it to its beauty – it felt like a really cool way to bring back SoxFest in a way that felt like home and also gave us the opportunity to celebrate the neighborhood. We talked about a lot of different concepts, but Ramova felt like the best fit for us. I think people are going to feel that when they walk through.”

This is going to happen in late January. When will tickets go on sale for this event, and what are the levels of the tickets people can purchase?

Quinn: “Tickets go on sale Tuesday, Nov. 26. There’s a special presale for season-ticket holders at 9 a.m. The general public can get their tickets at noon. And they can go to the Ramova website, ramovachicago.com, or at whitesox.com/soxfestlive. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be different from all of the fan events that people have been to in the past: live music, a lot of exciting entertainment, a chance to meet players, former players, leadership. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Do you feel like SoxFest had to look different from the typical convention because it’s been such a long time? Do you think SoxFest would be back in 2025 if it looked like a typical convention? Or now that you’ve made this change and brought it to this new format, is that what the White Sox were looking for, a new, updated version of SoxFest because maybe the convention part was done enough?

Quinn: “I think there’s pros to all of the events or concepts. We were thinking about the history of SoxFest and the years in which we couldn’t hold it. It felt important to us to reintroduce the concept of SoxFest in a new way, in a way that reflects how events are happening: experiential, more up close, more exclusive. Something that felt like we were giving people a chance to get up close to our White Sox organization and not something that felt in such a large setting and more distant. We wanted to bring something that was more up close and personal.”

What events will you have for the youngsters, the children of Sox fans? I’m sure people out there have kids and liked old SoxFest but want to know if kids can come out and what events you have planned.

Quinn: “We have the SoxFest kids camp that’s also happening. SoxFests of the past were really great about incorporating the whole family, but this year, we wanted to do something specifically for kids. Saturday afternoon, over at the ComEd rec center, we’re having a kids camp. They’ll be able to go through drills and rotations with some of our White Sox Elite staffing coaches, but also some player appearances. So there will be an opportunity to grab autographs and photos with major leaguers, as well. It’s going to be so much fun. I know my 6-year-old will be really excited to get his hands on some drills and some autographs.”

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