Baltimore Orioles Will Be Presenting Sponsor At Annual New Year's Eve Spectacular
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve will bring fireworks in the sky over Baltimore. Wednesday, the city announced plans for its New Year's Eve Spectacular and this year, there's a new sponsor backing the festivities.
Gigi Barnett has the details.
The magic Orioles fans saw on the field this year they'll enjoy in the sky come 2013. That's because the team signed on to become the presenting sponsor of the city's New Year's Eve Spectacular celebration.
"We didn't even realize that they were in need of a sponsor and as soon as we found out about and our ownership found out about it...it was something the club needs to do for the city," said Orioles VP of Communications Greg Bader.
Bands will be singing and couples will dance the night away. Crowds upwards of 100,000 will pack the Inner Harbor and are expected to yell "Happy New Year!"
It's the first major event of the New Year and it flushes nearly $7 million into Baltimore. Only the bad weather can stop it.
"Hopefully no snow. That's my prediction," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
This has been a winning year for the O's. The team made the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. As a result, more than two million fans visited the park so the team wanted to end the year with a bang.
If next year looks like this year for the Orioles, could a second year as the Spectacular sponsor be in the works?
"We certainly know what we can guarantee our fans...that the Oriole Park experience will be better than ever," Bader said.
WJZ is a proud sponsor of the New Year's Eve Spectacular.
