CINCINNATI — On Sunday afternoon, some excited shoppers made their way to The Banks to visit the Cincinnati Reds Team Store.
“We are looking for a city connect [jersey] for our goddaughter, and then I'm probably going to go with the classic white and red for me," Haley Madden said.
Madden and Caleb Jenei walked through the displays inside the store, looking for the perfect way to show their Reds fandom.
“We’re so excited, it’s our favorite time of year," Madden said.
The annual parade kicks off the Opening Day festivities on Thursday at noon. If you expect to be downtown, here's a list of all the major road closures you need to watch out for.
Watch to see how fans and businesses are getting ready for the biggest baseball day of the year:
The main event is at 4:10 p.m. at Great American Ball Park, when the Reds will host the Boston Red Sox for Game 1 of 162 in the 2026 season.
Jonathan and Teelisha Higgins also spent their afternoon at the Reds Team Store, getting a new jersey and hats to go along with it.
The fans are pumped up for the 2026 season after their team made it to the playoffs last fall.
"As long as our pitching stands up and we can get a little hitting now that we got Suarez, we’re going to be alright," Jonathan Higgins said.
Just across the street, the Holy Grail Tavern & Grille is getting ready to host a massive crowd outside the baseball stadium later this week.
"This will be our 16th opening day; it’s coming down to the wire," manager Nick Ramsey said.
Ramsey said preparations are already underway.
“Ice and beer, that’s always the biggest thing on my mind," Ramsey said.
His establishment will also likely be hosting a big crowd of fans rooting for the away team.
“It's probably going to be our busiest opening day, I mean, it’s the Red Sox, we’re going to have a lot of Boston fans down here, they’ve been here before, they’re a hoot," Ramsey said.
As fans left us with the most important two words ahead of Opening Day: "Go Reds!"
