Have you heard? The information was released less than 24 hours ago, but chances are you've already seen the... interesting... news about the Red's Opening Day Parade for 2018. Since the 2018 season's schedule was announced, Reds fans were already actively discussing the fact that the game would fall on a Thursday, rather than the traditional Monday. It's happened before, but it's unusual. Well, something else will be different this year and if you usually head downtown for the parade and the excitement of the very first game of the season, you'll have to adjust your schedule a bit.
Reds Opening Day for 2018 will be held on Thursday, March 29th, thanks to a slight schedule shift by MLB. Because this is the Thursday before Easter, it makes things with the Findlay Market parade a little complicated.
Findlay Market officials announced that they came to the very difficult decision to move the parade to Monday, April 2nd, before the Reds fourth home game. The game will take place at 4:10 p.m., which is the typical start time of the game on Opening Day.
So, why the change? There are a few factors organizers had to consider.
Findlay Market is closed the day of the parade and it wouldn't be very helpful to the small business owners and patrons of the market for it to be closed the Thursday before Easter. There is also the holiday weekend itself to consider.
We don't know yet if this will change anything else, like the parade route or other festivities.
The Opening Day Parade is one of the most treasured and well-attended events in Cincinnati and something locals look forward to every year. Although the parade will not take place on the same day as the first official game, it will be the start of a two-game series with the Chicago Cubs, which is always an exciting, animated experience.
So here's the question we are all asking... does this mean we will have to call in sick to work for two days now instead of one?
Well, you have this information now, so it's probably best to just go ahead and take a vacation from Thursday through Monday. This way, you can catch the Opening Day game, celebrate the holiday weekend, and then head back downtown again on Monday for the tradition that hopefully will not lose an ounce of its spirit and Cincinnati charm.
Dare we ask? What do you think about this decision? Will you still plan on attending the parade? What about the Opening Day game? We'd love to read your thoughts in the comments!
And if all of this makes you roll your eyes because you're still engrossed in football season, then check out our previous article here.
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