As promised, the Washington Nationals revealed their 2017 promotion/giveaway schedule this morning, and while there are many creative new promotions in store, it was surprisingly bereft of the bobblehead dolls that so many fans look forward to annually.
Previous years have featured as many as six or seven bobblehead giveaways. In 2017, there will be only three: Daniel Murphy (April 14), Trea Turner (May 12) and pitcher Tanner Roark (June 9).
Starters who’ve never had a bobblehead doll, including Adam Eaton, Joe Ross, and Anthony Rendon, will have to wait for another season.
Bryce Harper, who’s had his share of bobbleheads, will be honored this season with a Starting Lineup Action Figure on August 29.
The schedule features a whopping two dozen promotions that require a special ticket purchase, such as Yoga in the Outfield, college days, Ladies Night, Pups in the Park, and Teacher Appreciation days. Such events have been hugely popular in the past and are clearly the focus of a Nationals marketing team looking to bring new audiences to Nationals Park.
New giveaways of note include the opening day Magic 8 Ball (April 3) and Nationals Fedora (July 26) that had previously been revealed, plus a Max Scherzer snow globe (May 24), a Chewbacca Koozie for Star Wars day (May 27), a Flag Day patriotic tank top (June 14), a kids’ coloring book (July 30), and a beer stein for Oktoberfest (September 29).
It is expected that Signature Sundays and Kids Run the Bases will return on Sundays, though the Nationals did not announce those dates yet as part of the official calendar.
Likewise, no Nats Postgame Live concerts have been announced.
Known dates are below. Items noted with an * require a special ticket, even if you are a season plan holder. Any additional promotions will be updated here as they are announced:
2017 Washington Nationals
Promotion / Giveaway Schedule
Date/Time | Opponent | Promotion |
Mon 4/3 | MIA | Nats Magic 8 Ball (20,000 fans) |
Tue 4/11 | STL | Blossoms and Baseball |
Wed 4/12 | STL | Military Appreciation Day $1 Hot Dogs |
Fri 4/14 | PHI | Daniel Murphy Bobblehead (25,000 fans) |
Sat 4/15 | PHI | Scout Day Jackie Robinson Day |
Sun 4/16 | PHI | Easter Egg Hunt* Kids Opening Day Screech’s Birthday |
Sat 4/29 | NYM | Pups in the Park |
Sun 4/30 | NYM | Youth Baseball & Softball Day |
Tue 5/2 | ARI | Irish Heritage Day* |
Wed 5/3 | ARI | U.S. Navy Day |
Thu 5/4 | ARI | Weather Day* |
Fri 5/12 | PHI | Trea Turner Bobblehead (25,000 fans) Nurses Appreciation Day Teacher Appreciation Day |
Sat 5/13 | PHI | Pups in the Park |
Sun 5/14 | PHI | Mother’s Day Carnation (5,000 fans) Mother’s Day Brunch* |
Wed 5/24 | SEA | Max Scherzer Snow Globe (25,000 fans) |
Thu 5/25 | SEA | Federal Workforce Day |
Sat 5/27 | SDG | Star Wars Day Chewbacca Koozie (25,000 fans) |
Sun 5/28 | SDG | Memorial Day Observance Yoga in the Outfield* |
Fri 6/9 | TEX | Tanner Roark Bobblehead (25,000 fans) |
Sat 6/10 | TEX | Pups in the Park Scout Day |
Mon 6/12 | ATL | U.S. Army Day $1 Ice Cream |
Tue 6/13 | ATL | LGBT Night Out |
Wed 6/14 | ATL | Flag Day Tank Top (25,000 fans Age 21+) |
Sat 6/24 | CIN | College Day* Seniors Stroll the Bases |
Sun 6/25 | CIN | Pups in the Park Your Baseball & Softball Day |
Mon 6/26 | CHI | Champions Day |
Mon 7/3 | NYM | Postgame Fireworks |
Tue 7/4 | NYM | Independence Day |
Thu 7/6 | ATL | Neighborhood Day |
Sat 7/6 | ATL | Taste of the World* |
Sun 7/7 | ATL | College Day* |
Tue 7/25 | MIL | U.S. Marine Corps Day Teacher Appreciation Day* |
Wed 7/26 | MIL | Nationals Fedora (25,000 fans) |
Thu 7/27 | MIL | Camp Day* |
Sat 7/29 | COL | Ladies Night* |
Sun 7/30 | COL | Kids Coloring Book (10,000 fans Age 12 & under) |
Mon 8/7 | MIA | U.S. Coast Guard Day $1 Ice Cream |
Tue 8/8 | MIA | College Day* |
Thu 8/10 | MIA | B1G Ten Night* |
Fri 8/11 | SFG | ’90s Night |
Sat 8/12 | SFG | Washington Nationals Dream Foundation Day |
Sun 8/13 | SFG | Firefighter Appreciation Day Scout Day |
Tue 8/15 | LAA | Tote Bag (25,000 fans) College Day* |
Fri 8/25 | NYM | National Park Service Day* |
Sat 8/26 | NYM | Faith Day* |
Sun 8/27 | NYM | Jewish Community Day* |
Tue 8/29 | MIA | Bryce Harper Starting Lineup Action Figure (25,000 fans) |
Wed 8/30 | MIA | Seniors Stroll the Bases |
Thu 9/7 | PHI | Pups in the Park |
Sat 9/9 | PHI | Champions Day |
Sun 9/10 | PHI | Patriotic Series: Heroes Day Yoga in the Outfield* |
Tue 9/12 | ATL | College Day* |
Wed 9/13 | ATL | $1 Hot Dogs |
Thu 9/14 | ATL | College Day* |
Sun 9/17 | LAD | U.S. Air Force Day Scout Day* |
Fri 9/29 | PIT | Oktoberfest: Beer Stein (25,000 fans) Teacher Appreciation Day* |
Sat 9/30 | PIT | Pups in the Park |
Sun 10/1 | PIT | Youth Baseball & Softball Day* Youth Soccer Day* |
Bobblehead, fedora, and koozie photo courtesy Washington Nationals