Review and Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Promoter: C3 Presents (https://www.c3presents.com/ )
Venue: Tempe Beach Park (https://www.downtowntempe.com/go/tempe-beach-park )
Date: Friday February 20th, 2026
Tour: Innings Festival (https://www.inningsfestival.com/innings )
It was a unusually day this spring. The temperature was in the low 60s for the high. But it was the start of the Innings Festival (and Spring Training Baseball) for 2026. From the crowd, you couldn’t tell that it was colder than expected until the sun set. By then people were putting on jackets to stay warm.
This year the organizers decided to carpet the entire Home Plate area with astro turf to cut down on the dust. It also made it nicer for people to sit on the ground. After last year’s dust storm on the first day, this was great.
Again, this year they had all of the old favorite food venders and added some new ones. One of the ones that caught my eye was the street taco stand between the food court and Right Field stage. They had this huge meat stack that they added to during the day. When people wanted some tacos, they would remove some of the meaty and cook it. The thing that amazed me was that the entire meat stack was gone before the end of the night.
Even though it was cooler, it was still very dry. They provided a couple of Hydration Stations where you could refill bottles or cups.
They also provided a large number of porta-potties. They were located between the food court and Right Field Stage and the other set were by the Left Field State area.
And of course they had the multiple locations to purchase drinks. They offered from water, soda, beer and alcohol. Again, this year they went cashless at all of the food and drink stations.
There was also a large tent area where you could buy either band merchandise or Innings Festival merchandise. One of the local record stores, ZIA Records. You could buy new and used albums. It was located in the Left Field Stage area.
Speaking of Left Field Stage area, where they did talk shows, they had a pair of batting cages and a couple of pitching cages. It was interesting to see people and kids try their skills at pitching and batting.
There were also a number of venders there selling specialty alcohol. Ghost and Tito were there with their Vodkas.
At events this big, they provide a lot of security and medical coverage to make sure everyone is safe and can have a great time. It was nice to see some faces from prior years including my favorite security person.
Also make sure you get a photo with the giant baseball mitt located at the main entrance.
Overall, it was amazing first day of music and sun. I will provide a separate review of the bands with photos in another review.
First Day Photos of 2026 Innings Festival
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2025, All Rights Reserved
