The hoopla of All-Star festivities in Philadelphia provided a glimpse of what awaits the Chicago Cubs in less than a year.

The Cubs on Friday unveiled the official logo for the 2027 MLB All-Star Game, scheduled to be played July 13 at Wrigley Field. The Midsummer Classic is being held for the fourth time in Wrigley’s history (1947, 1962 and 1990), making the historic Friendly Confines the only active stadium to host four All-Star Games. Only two other ballparks have held the event as many times: Municipal Stadium in Cleveland (1935, 1954, 1963, 1981) and old Yankee Stadium in New York (1939, 1960, 1977, 2008).

Major League Baseball created the All-Star Game logo with input from the Cubs and highlighted Wrigley’s iconic marquee as the main ribbon in the banner while utilizing typography from the marquee’s letterform. They also incorporated the six-point star, part of the distinctive Chicago flag, as the hyphen in “All-Star.”

A whirlwind All-Star week attending all the events, including the fan village in downtown Philadelphia, had president of baseball operations Crane Kenney absorbing everything the Cubs are now tasked with pulling off in the next year.

“You’re a little more nervous than in most years because you know you’re going to be hosting it next year, so I’m paying a little more attention to details,” Kenney told the Tribune. “You’re a little bit more aware of what’s going on than enjoying it.”

Kenney also attended the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta to understand how the Braves implemented events around the area of Truist Park, known as the Battery, particularly the philanthropic efforts, which are a big piece of hosting the All-Star Game.

“Treat your local fans very well while welcoming an international fan base to the marketplace,” Kenney said, “and so there are all sorts of issues in terms of relocation of current fans and having them understand how it all works because it is the league’s game. We are the host, but the league very clearly is in charge of the ticketing, activation around the ballpark, the suites, clubs and private spaces, all the way down to the parking lot.

“So while, yes, it’s our park and there are so many nuances to Wrigley Field and nuances to the city of Chicago and how politics work there and how the environment around Wrigley works, which is different than every other ballpark. So it’ll be an interesting partnership with the league to see how that comes together.”

Kenney believes the 2016 World Series games at Wrigley were a good primer for the Cubs, and the COVID-shortened 2020 season helped, too, by forcing them to reinvent and make adjustments.

Of course, the expiring collective bargaining agreement and the expected lockout looms. The unknowns of whether the 2027 season will start on time creates some uncertainty about whether potentially lost games would affect the All-Star Game.

Kenney said the Cubs aren’t building in a contingency in case the All-Star Game is affected by a lockout.

“The All-Star Game is a whole different animal, so we’re going to have to operate as if there is no end of the CBA and that there is no pause in play, which we still hope is the case,” Kenney said. “There’s a great case to be made that both sides will come together, we’ll get something done and there’ll be no interruption to play, and we just have to operate with that as our strategy.

“It’s not like we’re going to plan to have concerts. Normally the All-Star break is a really lucrative concert window for us, which is very helpful to putting a great payroll together for Jed (Hoyer). We won’t have that next year, and we won’t be loading shows in as a contingency. And what we learned through COVID and the last lockout and sort of a quick start to play is that we can spin up our operation with 30 days’ notice.”

Philadelphia’s centralized downtown created a convenient space in the city’s Convention Center to hold an All-Star Village for fans. Plus, Citizens Bank Park is surrounded by spacious parking lots in south Philadelphia, where the Phillies focused on events around the ballpark.

The Cubs and Chicago have the opposite dynamic. Most All-Star-related events are expected to be held around Wrigley with some, such as the fan village that requires massive space, to be located downtown.

As part of the preparation for the event, the host city creates a host committee to help with the All-Star Game process, including financial and philanthropic support. Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson are honorary members of the committee, which includes actor Bill Murray, Pearl Jam front man and Cubs fan Eddie Vedder, 2016 World Series champion Anthony Rizzo, a group of corporate partners, investors in the team and other elected and civic leaders.

The Cubs view this event as a way to highlight all of the upgrades around the stadium, where renovations were completed in 2021. When they played World Series games at Wrigley in 2016, Gallagher Way hadn’t been built and the clubhouses weren’t completed.

“We’re going to try and keep all the energy in Wrigleyville and really showcase our ballpark,” Kenney said. “This will be kind of a coming-out party in some ways for the renovated Wrigley project. This is going to be a massively popular game. We haven’t had it in 37 years. Wrigley is the star of the show.”

Baseball Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Billy Williams, Cubs Hall of Famer Shawon Dunston, Rizzo, All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, members of the Cubs’ 2027 All-Star host committee, including Vedder and Murray, and a family member of 1945 NL MVP Phil Cavarretta were part of Friday’s pregame ceremony.

The ceremony used the diamond to embrace Wrigley’s All-Star Game history.

Each base represented one of the ballpark’s first three All-Star Games, and home plate symbolized the 2027 All-Star Game. A family member of Cavarretta’s stood at first base for the 1947 game, Williams was at second base for the 1962 Midsummer Classic and Dawson and Dunston were at third to represent the 1990 game. Crow-Armstrong was at the plate to honor next year’s All-Star Game. Rizzo delivered a ceremonial first pitch to Clark the Cub.

“Chicago’s rich baseball heritage makes it a perfect stage for the game’s brightest stars,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “As the logo for the 2027 Midsummer Classic is unveiled, we look forward to collaboration with the Cubs, the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois to showcase the vibrant culture, iconic neighborhoods, passionate fans and enduring love of the game that define the Windy City.”

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