Dodgers and MLB announce All-Star week festivities for July

When he was introduced as Dodgers president at a news conference 10 years ago, Stan Kasten immediately received a request from fans.

“As I started walking through the stands, that day fans were asking me, ‘Are we going to get an All-Star game?’ ” Kasten recalled Tuesday. “It had already been an unthinkable 32 years.”

A decade later, the Midsummer Classic will be played at Dodger Stadium for the first time since 1980. And during a news conference Tuesday at the stadium’s center-field plaza, the team and Major League Baseball unveiled the schedule of events that will dot the week.

The game will be held on Tuesday, July 19. All-Star week festivities, however, will begin days earlier and take place at several locations around the Southland.

From Friday, July 15, to Sunday, July 17, there will be an “All-Star Oceanfront” beach event at the Santa Monica Pier and Beach that will include youth baseball and softball activities on the beach next to the pier. There will also be All-Star carnival games and merchandise on the pier.

From Saturday, July 16, to Tuesday, July 19, “MLB Live” will be hosted downtown at the LA Live campus and Los Angeles Convention Center. The festivities will include “Play Ball Park,” which tMLB called the world’s biggest baseball and softball festival. There will also be an “MLB All-Star Block Party” throughout the week and a red carpet show introducing the All-Star teams Tuesday.

On Sunday, July 17, the league will also host the MLB amateur draft on Xbox Plaza outside the Microsoft Theater.

At Dodger Stadium, events will begin on Friday, July 15, with the high school All-American Game. Former Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier will be one of the coaches.

On Saturday, July 16, the annual All-Star Futures Games featuring baseball’s top prospects will be followed by the Celebrity All-Star Game.

The Home Run Derby will take place on Monday, July 18.

Dodger Stadium was supposed to host the All-Star game in 2020 before the event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s been a long road,” MLB chief operations and strategy officer Chris Marinak said at Tuesday’s event. “We were hoping to be here two years ago, but I think the wait will be worth it because we’ve put a lot of extra time into the event.”

Added Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, a Long Beach native and two-time All-Star: “This is really special. Obviously I grew up in Southern California, and this will be the first All-Star game I ever see here. So we’re excited. We got a bunch of guys who should be representing the Dodgers in the game, and I know we’re gonna put on a great show.”