Bars empty as White Sox home opener postponed to Friday

Empty bars as White Sox home opener pushed

What was supposed to be a big South Side party today turned into a rain check - and a real hit for local bars. The White Sox home opener is pushed to tomorrow at 1:10 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Fox Chicago's Lauren Scafidi is live - making the most of today at Mitchell's Tap!

CHICAGO - Thursday’s scheduled home opener for the Chicago White Sox was postponed due to expected bad weather.

What we know:

The White Sox announced the team’s 2026 home opener against the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays will now be played Friday at 1:10 p.m. CT.

Parking lots are set to open at 10 a.m., with gates at Rate Field opening at 11:10 a.m.

All tickets for Thursday’s game — including prepaid parking passes, Stadium Club passes, Ballpark Pass tickets and patio tickets — will be valid for Friday’s rescheduled game. The team says fans do not need to exchange tickets.

What they're saying:

Local bars and restaurants were eager for big crowds on Thursday.

"Chaos, happy, good vibes, packed house, ready to go, ready to kick off the season and get ready for good weather and good baseball," said Carrie Stegmiller, the bartender at Mitchell's Tap. 

Thursday ended up being the complete opposite. 

"A whole lot of nothing as you can see," Stegmiller said. "Nobody, nothing, the mood is completely somber and changed."

Stegmiller is optimistic Friday's forecast, and crowd, will both be better. 

"It's sad because some people who planned to come today probably can't now because they already took the day off but for us, however, a Friday could be a good thing because I think a lot of people are off Saturday," said Stegmiller. 

What you can do:

Fans can check for updates and additional information at whitesox.com/weatherinfo.