Downtown Cleveland is going to be hopping this weekend with two 2024-2025 season home openers happening at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Cleveland Cavaliers play the Detroit Pistons on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m., and the Cleveland Monsters face the Rochester Americans on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m.

“It is going to be an exciting weekend for us at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, as the Cavs and Monsters begin their seasons on back-to-back nights,” says Chris Kaiser, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for the Cavs. “Both games will have full arena fan giveaways, including a home opener t-shirt for the Cavs and a long sleeve t-shirt for the Monsters, as well as new in-game entertainment.”

Kaiser adds that the giveaways extend to the fans sitting in Loudville (the 200 Level sections). Limited tickets are still available in most sections for both the Cavs and the Monsters home openers this weekend.

“We are on a record-setting pace for the Monsters for an opening night,” notes Kaiser.

Good eats

Fans may want to arrive at the FieldHouse hungry, Kaiser warns, because there are new food options.

“Prior to the season, we surveyed our fans to inquire about what kind of options they’d like us to explore adding to our menus across the venue,” he explains, “and we’re excited about what we will introduce this year. We have added new options for fans looking for [everything from] Cleveland classics to healthy bites.”

For instance, Kaiser says Pearl’s Kitchen has a blackened shrimp bowl, Sauce the City features a new Polish Boy, and Chef Karen Small’s P. Street Market Café now offers Karen’s Chili and Cornbread.

FieldHouse history - Gund Arena under construction 1974Happy birthday

To top off the excitement of season home openers and new food options, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year. Kaiser says the anniversary makes this season extra-special, so organizers have dedicated three theme nights to celebrate three decades in downtown Cleveland. The first theme night is Wednesday, Oct. 30 with the Cavs playing the Los Angeles Lakers at 7 p.m.

Kaiser promises there will be special game presentation elements for the theme nights. “We are also releasing several apparel items dedicated to the 30^th anniversary, including a unique Gund Arena t-shirt in partnership with Homage and a denim pearl jacket.

FieldHouse history

Designed by Cleveland architecture firm Robert P. Madison International and Minnesota-based Ellerbe Becket, groundbreaking for the facility that would be known first as Gund Arena was in April 1992 and opened on Oct. 17, 1994 with a Billy Joel concert. The Cavaliers played their first game in Gund Arena on Oct. 21, 1994.

Gund Arena became Quicken Loans Arena in 2005 before taking the name Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in 2019 after undergoing a $185 million renovation. The Monsters played their first season at the facility in inaugural 2007-2008 season.