When spectators from around the world converge in Birmingham to watch The World Games at venues across the Birmingham area, The World Games Plaza will be the center of the action.
The World Games Plaza, the sporting competition’s central gathering space for music, food, and entertainment, is located in CitywalkBHAM, the newly open, massive park under the I-59/20 bridge in downtown Birmingham between 15th Street North and 25th Street North.
Situated less than a mile from Protective Stadium behind the BJCC, the 10-block, 31-acre development includes green spaces, public art, bathrooms, and a pro-level skate park.
“Citywalk BHAM is going to be the heartbeat of the games,” World Games CEO Nick Sellers told reporters earlier this year. “A main street, if you will.”
The World Games Plaza is a four-block portion of Citywalk BHAM, dedicated to the international sporting event, which runs from July 7 to July 17.
The area, which is sponsored by Regions Bank, will host a series of free performances, vendors, and activities over the 11-day competition.
“The plaza is for Birmingam and everyone that’s visiting to experience the city in a fun way,” said Rashida Reese, the Director of Sponsorship Fulfillment for The World Games.
A directory for CitywalkBHAM (Shauna Stuart|AL.com)
Reese says the main benefit of the plaza experience is access. The plaza is open to the public, and all of the activities, with the exception of the vendors and food trucks, are free.
The plaza’s main and sound stages will host concerts, performers, and sports demonstrations. Food trucks, vendors, and merchants will be housed in different spots on the plaza.
“Even if you aren’t experiencing any of the events, come out to the plaza! It’s free!” said Reese. “Come and experience what Birmingham has to offer. This is a great experience to see Citywalk in its finished form.”
Rashida Reese (left) is the Director of Sponsorship Fulfillment for The World Games. Russell Clark (ight) is the Director of The World Games Plaza. (Shauna Stuart for AL.com)
Read more coverage of The World Games on AL.com
HOURS OF OPERATION:
The World Games Plaza will open daily at 11:00 a.m. with the vendors and food trucks.
The plaza’s prime time hours will start at 3:00 p.m. with sports demonstrations, sponsored activations, and performances on the soundstage.
The plaza will close most nights at 9:00 p.m.
On main stage concert nights, the plaza will remain open until the end of the acts. The majority of the tents and sponsors at the plaza will shut down at 9 p.m., except for select vendors and food trucks.
FOOD TRUCKS, VENDORS, and MERCHANTS
The food trucks will be available on the plaza from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The full list of food trucks is available here and on The World Games Plaza site.
A number of vendors, including vendors selling official World Games merchandise, will be housed in the merchant’s market, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. A full list of vendors is available here.
DEMO SPORTS, CONCERTS, and ENTERTAINMENT
From 3 to 9 p.m. plaza attendees can try out a number of sports at stage demonstrations including, floorball, Jujitsu, and kickboxing.
The sound stage will also host a daily set of performers, DJs, musicians, and dancers, most of whom auditioned though The World Games Talent Search Competition.
“We’ve carved out a moment on that stage every single day to feature local talent from across Birmingham, Alabama and across the different states,” Kathy Boswell, the Executive Vice President of Community and Volunteer Engagement for The World Games 2022, said in May.
Sound stage performances will be from 3 to 9 p.m. The full schedule is available here.
On three nights, the plaza will host concerts on the main stage.
Big Head Todd will perform on Friday, July 8. Lupe Fiasco will perform on Saturday, July 9. Big Boi will perform on Wednesday, July 13.
Read more:
Big Boi, Lupe Fiasco, Big Head Todd join World Games lineup
Russell Clark, the Director of The World Games Plaza, says curating the main stage concert series was a group effort.
Clark says once the team pitched the idea of performing at The World Games to Big Boi, the Southern rap icon was on board.
“We have an international crowd coming,” said Clark. “He is one of the bigger headliners who is attractive. People know his name from Outkast. But he also has a bigger gene through his acting efforts as well.”
Clark says getting Lupe Fiasco on the bill was a mutual endeavor between the Chicago rapper and one of the World Games executives, who knows Fiasco well. The exec already had Fiasco in mind to perform when the Chicago rapper reached out to inquire about joining the lineup.
The decision was a fitting one. “Kick Push,” the lead single from Fiasco’s 2006 debut album, “Food And Liquor,” is a skateboarding love story. On Saturday, Fiasco will take the stage in a structure that houses one of the biggest skateparks in the Southeast.
“It all vibes. That was one of the biggest things,” said Clark. “There was a conscious effort to weave everything together.”
SPONSORED ACTIVATIONS
The World Games Plaza will also host more than a dozen sponsored activations, or immersive consumer engagement booths.
“So rather than just handing out a promotional flier or any kind of basic media, these are interactive and experiential moments,” said Clark.
Activation tents include a 360 photo booth from Protective Stadium and a full service mobile branch from Regions bank as well as set ups from Shipt, UAB, Coca-Cola, and Malibu Boats, the official boats of the World Games wakeboarding competition.
The plaza will also host two large technology-focused activations: ALEX, a workforce development immersive, and the HBCU Experience Presented by Microsoft.
ALEX, which stands for the Alabama Experience, is a high-tech area in the middle of the plaza with three major pods: advance manufacturing, information technology, and healthcare.
“Young folks can go in there, play with the robots, QR code in, and really see what is possible in these fields and what’s possible in Alabama in these fields. We really think it’s going to be an incredible area,” said Sellers.
The $2 million partnership includes Alabama Power and diverse technology initiative BDPA.
“What they are trying to do is showcase the state of Alabama from a technology standpoint and workforce. And showcase Alabama as a place to come to school to learn about technology,” said Clark. “Stay here, work here, and (showcase) the cost of living in Alabama as compared to Atlanta or somewhere else and why this is a great state to be in.”
The HBCU Experience, presented by Microsoft, is a partnership to center, invest, and forge relationships with 14 historically Black colleges and universities. Every day, the activation will sponsor a different HBCU, starting with Alabama’s own Miles College.
HBCU experience attendees will be able to take part in a number of activities including Minecraft Corner, featuring work from the finalists of The World Games HBCU Minecraft Challenge, a beat-mixing station, a pedometer coding and step challenge, and a gaming lounge with Xbox.
For more information on The World Games Plaza, visit https://twg2022.com/plaza/
