By Joshua Long
I’m not alone when I say the Detroit Tigers Opening Day is one of my absolute favorite days of the year. I love baseball, the Tigers, and Downtown Detroit. I also love data, and Opening Day provides plenty of insights.
Opening Day is an unofficial Detroit holiday, when PTO requests rise, friends and families make plans, and baseball fans of all ages descend on Downtown Detroit in droves. One team in particular, the Downtown BIZ Ambassadors, get their spring cleaning done ahead of the Tigers home opener to ensure the community is vibrant and the experience for all is memorable.
A large part of the preparation is focused on the planning the free Opening Day Tailgate Party, presented by Miller Lite and produced by DDP.
The crowd that comes Downtown for opening day is large. In 2024, there were 128,535 visitors Downtown between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 pm. That was a 4% increase over 2023. Considering that Comerica Park has a capacity of 41,000 people, more than 2/3 of the visitors Downtown on Opening Day did not even attend the game but instead celebrated outside the stadium at parties, tailgates, and at their favorite Downtown parks, restaurants, and bars.
Opening Day brings people together from throughout the Detroit region. The large majority (89%) of visitors in 2024 were guests who live outside of Detroit (figure 1). The top three origin zip codes represented Trenton, Livonia, and New Baltimore. The highest Detroit zip code is 48219, coming in ranked at 11 (figure 2).
It’s not just Michiganders who love Tigers opening day. For opening day 2024, there were 9,088 visitors who lived outside of Michigan. The top three visitor states were Ohio, Florida, and New York (figure 3). Plus, a special shout out to fans from Windsor, Ontario!
Each year, the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) and Downtown Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) prepare the Downtown by getting it dressed and ready for the influx of visitors ready to celebrate our beloved Tigers and (hopefully) the start of warmer weather.
The BIZ Ambassadors’ job doesn’t end with spring cleaning. They will be ready to assist any and all people coming Downtown. Not only will this team be ready with smiles, directions, and expertise on Downtown Detroit, they’ll be ready to tackle the high volume of trash that comes with the territory of large crowds and popular sporting events. As stewards of the Downtown, during opening day in 2024, BIZ Ambassadors removed 264 bags of trash (about 6,600 pounds), much of which was first picked up by the Ambassadors from our sidewalks and lawns.
To offer some everyday context, the BIZ Ambassadors maintain more than 200 trash receptacles within the Downtown. Below is a map of receptacle locations around Comerica and Grand Circus Park. If you find yourself Downtown enjoying opening day, make sure you put your trash in a can to help us keep Downtown beautiful. And, when you see a Downtown BIZ Ambassador in a neon green shirt, say “hello” — they’re here to make sure that all guests experience a clean Downtown that is safe and welcoming – and of course, have a good time.
Figure 1: Percent of Opening Day Visitors, by Home Residence
| Rank | City | Zipcode | State | Visits | % of Visits |
| 1 | Trenton | 48183 | MI | 1,443 | 1.1 |
| 2 | Livonia | 48154 | MI | 1,416 | 1.1 |
| 3 | New Baltimore | 48047 | MI | 1,406 | 1.1 |
| 4 | Roseville | 48066 | MI | 1,293 | 1.0 |
| 5 | Macomb | 48044 | MI | 1,287 | 1.0 |
| 6 | Grosse Pointe | 48236 | MI | 1,205 | 0.9 |
| 7 | Allen Park | 48101 | MI | 1,200 | 0.9 |
| 8 | Clinton Township | 48038 | MI | 1,179 | 0.9 |
| 9 | Plymouth | 48170 | MI | 1,177 | 0.9 |
| 10 | Royal Oak | 48073 | MI | 1,149 | 0.9 |
| 11 | Detroit | 48219 | MI | 1,115 | 0.9 |
Figure 2: Top 11 Origins of Visitors on Opening Day, 2024
| State | Visits |
| OH | 2,367 |
| FL | 1,113 |
| NY | 1,026 |
| IL | 600 |
| IN | 498 |
Figure 3: Top states of origin, outside Michigan
