The S.F. Giants have ended their FanFest and "replaced it with a caravan called FanFest Tour" that includes four events in January, February and March with stops in Sacramento, San Jose and Napa as well as an open house at Oracle Park, according to John Shea of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The Giants said that they “wanted to try a new format,” and another reason for the change is that Oracle Park will be unavailable in early February because of Monster Jam and motocross events in January that "will tear up the field." While one of the features of FanFests over the years was that fans could roam the field, the Giants grounds crew "needs time to prepare and settle a new field for the 2024 season." The Giants said that they "took surveys of fans who said what they liked most about FanFest was the interaction with players and going on the field." With the latter not possible, the Giants "chose to emphasize the former." The open house will be held during spring training on March 9. That day’s exhibition from Arizona "will be broadcast on the scoreboard," and the team "will use a form of technology to create a hologram booth so players can take turns throughout the day communicating with fans" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/14). In San Jose, Danny Emerman noted last year’s FanFest “drew roughly 10,000 fans” -- about "a third of their peak attendance during the three-title run in the early 2010s." Emerman: “It was a rainy day, and a good portion of Giants fans were disillusioned by the club’s offseason that included failed pursuits of Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa” (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 12/14).
