The year 2026 has two significant anniversaries for the Cubs:
- The 10th anniversary of the 2016 World Series championship, and
- The 150th anniversary of the official founding of the Cubs National League franchise
Both of these anniversaries will be featured in many promotional giveaways by the team, both gate giveaways and via special ticket offers, the team announced Tuesday.
To celebrate the club’s 150th anniversary as a National League franchise, commemorative bobbleheads spotlighting iconic figures in Cubs history will be available starting in April. Bobbleheads will be distributed on the following dates to the first 10,000 fans to enter Wrigley Field, subject to availability:
- Saturday, April 11 (vs. Pirates): Ben Zobrist bobblehead
- Saturday, April 18 (vs. Mets): Ron Santo bobblehead
- Saturday, May 2 (vs. Diamondbacks): Kerry Wood bobblehead
- Sunday, May 24 (vs. Astros): Ryne Sandberg bobblehead
- Sunday, August 30 (vs. Reds): Harry Caray bobblehead
- Sunday, September 13 (vs. Pirates): Sammy Sosa bobblehead
Those should all be very popular items. Note that they’re all being given away on weekends, days when crowds are generally the largest of the week. I’m not sure if this was done intentionally but I think it’s poetic that the Ron Santo bobblehead is being given away on a day the Cubs are facing the Mets… all of you certainly remember how Santo felt about the Mets.
To continue the anniversary celebrations, #BudFridays will return with a series of replica jerseys modeled after different eras in team history. These retro giveaways are available to the first 5,000 fans 21 years of age or older to enter the Budweiser Bleacher Gate on each #BudFridays date, subject to availability. Check out the jerseys at the page linked below, these are pretty cool.
Other new gate giveaways include a Cubs Puffer Vest, a Cade Horton Graphic Tee and a Wrigley Field Replica Ballpark.
There will also be three celebration dates for anniversaries and for the Cubs Hall of Fame induction:
- Saturday, July 18: 2016 World Series Anniversary Celebration
- Saturday, August 29: Cubs 150th Anniversary Celebration
- Sunday, August 30: Cubs Hall of Fame Induction
The team says there are 35 special ticket dates where various items will be given away if you purchase the special ticket, including the popular Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month and Pride Month.
You can find more information about all the Cubs giveaways here. Cubs single-game tickets go on sale this Friday, Feb. 20. There’s a presale on Thursday, Feb. 19 and you can sign up for that here.