More details about the festivities surrounding the Winter Classic came to light Thursday, as the NHL announced a free two-day fan festival that will be held Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 in the north lot at Lumen Field. The event will be open to the public and will be family friendly.
The Enterprise NHL Fan Village will be open starting at the conclusion of the Seattle Seahawks game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Dec. 31 (approximately 4:30 p.m.) and will run until 8 p.m. that day. If the Seahawks game gets flexed to a different time due to TV coverage, then the event will not be held that day and will instead be held only on Jan. 1, before and after the Winter Classic Game. On Jan. 1, the village will be open from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The festival will feature a variety of games and interactive activities put on by NHL partners like AWS, Discover, Fanatics, Upper Deck, and more. Fans can also take photos with the Stanley Cup, which will be on display.
A full list of the activities can be found below, but here are a few that sounded particularly interesting to us. First, AWS’s “immersive tabletop experience” that will let fans place hockey pucks on a digital hockey rink, and that will bring hockey plays and stats to life. This is a demo of the NHL’s Edge player tracking technology.
Another that sticks out is Ticketmaster’s “Bullseye Battle” shooting competition, along with Upper Deck offering personalized trading cards and an AI photo opportunity from Discover that will let fans place their own faces on Winter Classic collectibles.
As promised, here is the full list of activities that will be held at the Enterprise NHL Fan Village:
- AWS: “AWS Interactive Ice” offers a unique immersive tabletop experience allowing fans to place electronically enabled hockey pucks on hotspots across our digital hockey rink to bring hockey plays and statistics to life. The activation highlights and explores the tech that enables deeper insights into the game utilizing NHL Edge IQ powered by AWS stats.
- CAT: Hockey fans visiting the Enterprise NHL Fan Village can win Cat branded prizes, take photos with Cat equipment and learn about Cat services.
- Discover: The Discover ‘Starting Lineup’ Experience will feature an immersive footprint including an AI photo opportunity allowing fans to place their face on a custom digital Discover collectible, NHL Winter Classic memorabilia for fans to explore, branded premium distribution and special guests throughout the weekend. The centerpiece of the ‘Starting Lineup’ experience is Discover’s oversized Air Hockey Table where fans can take on their friends and family.
- Fanatics: Visit the Official Merchandise trailer for a great selection of 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic jerseys, apparel, headwear, and souvenirs.
- Great Clips: Fans who think they have what it takes to make the leaderboard must come by Hardest Shot presented by Great Clips to test their slapshot! Great Clips, Official Hair Salon of the NHL.
- Honda: Honda, the official automotive partner of the NHL in the U.S., will have the All-New Prologue – Honda’s first All-Electric SUV – on display at the Enterprise NHL Fan Village! Fans can stop by Honda to show off their hockey skills in the Goalie Power Play game and get a chance to win fun prizes.
- Jersey Mike’s: Jersey Mike’s will bring an interactive gaming experience to hockey fans, featuring sub sandwich sampling, digital air hockey, augmented reality photo opportunities, sweepstakes and more. This on-site activation allows fans to interact with the brand in a meaningful way.
- Navy Federal Credit Union: Fans can visit the Navy Federal Credit Union hockey activation to test their range and accuracy at the Hockey Shot Challenge and for a chance to look like the pros while taking a picture in the Hockey Player Photo Opportunity!
- New Amsterdam Vodka: Fans 21-plus can head to the Enterprise NHL Fan Village bar to get the Fan Village signature cocktail “Seattle Smash”, served in a Discover NHL Winter Classic souvenir cup! New Amsterdam Vodka, Official Vodka of the NHL.
- NHL Fan Access™ App: As the official event app, NHL Fan Access™ features maps, schedules, the “Ask Stanley” virtual assistant, opportunities to win prizes, and much more. Fans are encouraged to download the app today!
- NHL Network: NHL Network will give fans the chance to test their shooting skills with a target inflatable. NHL Network’s NHL Tonight will air extensive pre- and post-game coverage of the 2024 NHL Winter Classic.
- S. Preston: At this year’s NHL Winter Classic artist S. Preston will be showcasing his NHL-licensed artwork which includes his limited-edition commemorative sketch for this year’s game. This sketch will be available for purchase on-site at the Enterprise NHL Fan Village.
- Stanley Cup Display: Fans can take a photo with the most iconic trophy in professional sports during Enterprise NHL Fan Village operating hours.
- Ticketmaster: Fans can show off their wrist shot by aiming for the bullseye at Bullseye Battle!
- United by Hockey Mobile Museum: Returning for a second season, the United by Hockey exhibit is a unique interactive experience that celebrates the game’s trailblazers, changemakers and business leaders spanning across multiple underrepresented and multicultural demographics. The professionally curated history museum highlights a number of new features including a VR experience, United Voices podcast wall and adaptive hockey display and aims to raise awareness of and educate fans about diverse individuals within the game of hockey emphasizing that Hockey is for Everyone!
- Upper Deck: Fans can get their own personalized NHL Winter Classic trading card from Upper Deck, the exclusive trading card partner of the NHL®. Upper Deck is also giving fans an opportunity to win fun prizes by playing exciting games such as Pack Wars, Box Hockey, and more. In addition, fans can collect a FREE NHL Winter Classic trading card set at UpperDeckEpack.com, the innovative platform that allows users to buy, open, collect and trade with hockey fans from around the world. For more information, fans should visit the Upper Deck booth.
- Verizon: Fans can visit Accuracy Challenge presented by Verizon to test their shooting accuracy and see if they have an NHL-caliber shot.
- Washington’s Lottery: Fans can practice like the pros and test their stick skills by shooting pucks into a stacked washer and dryer unit.