A glimpse into the Subaru World Championship Village: What you need to know
A ticket to the IIHF Women’s World Championship next month at the Adirondack Bank Center ensures entertainment beyond the rink.
Mohawk Garden President Rob Esche confirmed each ticket holder to the upcoming ice hockey tournament will receive access to the Subaru World Championship Village; “a family-friendly hub for engaging activities such as live music, virtual reality games, a biergarten, and more.”
Located at 470 Whitesboro St. in Utica, the village is meant to serve as an extension of the ice hockey tournament excitement, officials said.
What about the kids? Esche said, describing how the venue is meant for the whole family. “There’s something for everyone,” he added. “We’ve gone to great lengths to create an accommodating atmosphere both inside and out.”
Almost complete
With turf laid and graffiti sprayed Esche said the village was well on-track to becoming an “urban-centric hangout.” While the facility is only 80% complete, he acknowledged all the heavy lifting has been done.
“It’s going to transform very quickly these next two weeks,” said Esche. “We’ll bring in some more furniture, install neon lights, and set up the stage for the performers. The back room will convert into a multi-ball game with 50 different ways for the kids to play – from throwing balls to shooting pucks against the wall.”
Inside, ticket holders can enjoy food and beverages from a host of local restaurants. Outside there will be a 60-foot Ferris wheel, “to admire the city from a new vantage point,” said Esche.
There will also be a 35-foot outdoor curling deck, something Esche admits to have never tried before. The Utica Curling Club will offer demos for other first-timers, he added.
The tournament will feature athletes from across the globe. As such, flags representing the United States, Finland, Switzerland, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, China, Sweden, Germany and Japan were staged throughout the village interior.
“The famed Foster (who stays anonymous) painted the U-T-I-C-A letter in between the flags,” said Eshce. “The graffiti wall is almost done. Here you can see the theater with some singers and the Nexus Center.”
Storytellers and singers
Esche unveiled the live music line-up, featuring bands from Nashville to New York.
Between opening night, with Alekandra K, and closing night, with Dylan Morrow, an array of local bands and DJS are featured.
“We chose Nashville bands you’d typically find on the downtown strip,” said Esche. “You can request a song to play, and they’ll play it!”.
The performance schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, April 3: Alexandra Kay, 5 p.m. DJ Ease One, 9 p.m.
Thursday, April 4: Showtime the Band, 4 p.m. DJ Oh Kane, 9 p.m.
Friday, April 5: Alan Carl, 5 p.m. Last Left, 9 p.m.
Saturday, April 6: Andrew Jannakos, 5 p.m. Yellow Dog, 9 p.m.
Sunday, April 7: Tom Nitti, 4 p.m.
Monday, April 8: Jake Maurer Band, 5 p.m. Showtime the Band, 9 p.m.
Tuesday, April 9: Dusty Puppies, 4 p.m.
Thursday, April 11: Last Left, 4 p.m. DJ Oh Kane, 9 p.m.
Saturday, April 13: Shawn “Big Sexy” Smith, 12 p.m.
Sunday, April 14: Dylan Marlowe, 3 p.m.
Esche also said there would be “Storyteller & Singer Saturdays.”
“There will be four songwriters, who wrote number-one hits performed by Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, and other stars. They’ll tell the meaning behind each song and sing it in their own voice – which I think is gonna be really cool. It’ll give fans some background on well-known country classics.”
Attendance to the Big Frog 104 Concert Series is free for village attendees, with the exception of Alexandra Kay and Dylan Marlowe.
“In theory these two concerts are still free, we're just charging a $20 entrance fee, to go toward the Save the Day Foundation,” Esche explained. “With national recording artists there needs to be crowd control. This gives us a handle on event numbers. We’re working with law enforcement and the county to ensure the environment remains safe.”
Who has access?
While admission to the village is free it’s only accessible to ticket holders, as well as VIP package holders and accredited tournament officials. A single ticket to any of the scheduled games allows entrance to any and all days the village is open.
“That means even if you buy an 11 o'clock game ticket, which is only $5, you’ll still get access to visit the village any day you chose,” hinted Adirondack Sports Council (ADKSC) Communication Director Jon Lundin.
According to Esche, parking is nothing to worry about; it will be ‘free and controlled.’
“Parking won't be too different from a regular Comets game. We're shutting down East Whitesboro St., between the Adirondack Bank Center and the lot. Those trying to park will be directed behind Water Street and up to Potter Street, that way the entire East side remains open. In Utica, we are lucky to have lots of street parking. The 1,100 spots we have at the Nexus Center will be taken over by the teams for practicing.”
'It's going to be electric'
Easter Morning the streets adjacent to the village will shut down. Adirondack Sports Council and USA Hockey officials will team up with Esche’s crew to finish setting up outdoors.
“We’ve got three days to set up the Ferris wheel, and interactive games,” said Esche. “During that time the inside of the Adirondack Bank Center will transform to all IIHF theme logos and branding on the ice, dashboards, banners, and everything.”
The Subaru World Championship Village will be open weekdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. outdoors, and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. indoors. On weekends, it will be open from noon to 7 p.m. outdoors and noon to 10 p.m. indoors. During the quarterfinals on Thursday, April 11, it will be open from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. outdoors and 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. indoors.
Esche did note the schedule will be flexible on dates with concurrent events, such as the Great American eclipse on April 8.
“Local schools are closing for the eclipse which will change our hours," he said. "Initially, we were going to hold events from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. leading up to one of our biggest nights: the U.S. vs. Canada. But now, we’re talking about backing up the opening time to noon or one o’clock to accommodate.”
Nonetheless, Esche assured by the time April 3 rolls around “it’s going to be electric.” He underscored that the first two 11 a.m. games are sold out with 3,400 students from area schools.
“From here on out teams will start making their way into town,” said Esche. “We’re talking about the most decorated women athletes of our country. The amount of metals that they've accumulated is profound. When people are eating at Babes and the NHL network is playing one of the tournament games there will be a sense of shock. It’s all happening right here in our town.”
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: IIHF Women's Worlds: Exploring the Subaru World Championship Village
