The festival stage at Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, which for years was a focal point of the infield, will “now be moved to sit under the race track’s scoreboard, facing the grandstands.” Rather than promoting the long-running Infieldfest, The Stronach Group, doing business as 1/ST, has advertised a new “Infield Fan Zone” hosted by Football HOFer Ray Lewis that will have a capacity of 3,000. A spokesperson for the group said Thursday that there “will be other opportunities for spectators to access the infield,” but declined to give details. Canada-based Stronach is making the infield changes before the company hands the event over to the state next year. The changes The Stronach Group is making to the Preakness “reflect the event’s struggles to draw rowdy infield fans back to Pimlico.” The race drew just 65,000 fans in 2024, and that number dropped to around 63,000 last year (BALTIMORE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/17).
1/ST VP/Communications Tiffani Steer said the goal of relocating the stage is to create “an immersive and connected live performance viewable from the Grandstand.” The “redesigned stage” will be stationed to the north of the cupola where the Woodlawn Vase is presented to the connections of the Preakness winner. The Stronach Group has long operated the Preakness. However, now that the state of Maryland has taken over the industry and installed a nonprofit operator, 1/ST is “on its way out.” It remains to be seen whether the traditional music festival will “ultimately return to the Preakness down the road, once the nonprofit, which has adopted the historic Maryland Jockey Club name, takes over the race at a rebuilt Pimlico” (BALTIMORE BANNER, 4/17).
