It’s officially summer in Coney Island, and that means the peak of the Brooklyn Cyclones season is approaching.
The warmer weather brings larger crowds to Luna Park and to the neighboring Maimonides Park, where the Cyclones — the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets — play.
Minor League Baseball is known for its out-of-the-box promotional tactics. The Cyclones are no different. The team has always created a storm from its giveaways and theme nights, from Minecraft Movie Day to Seinfeld Night.
Several repeat offers, like fireworks nights, BOGO Tuesdays, Thursday Meal Deal, Fri-Yay Drink Deal, Saturday Backyard Bash and the Sunday Brunch, are offered on a regular basis. But the giveaways are always the biggest draw.
We previously wrote about Maimonides Park’s notoriously difficult early-season conditions for hitters — especially left-handed power hitters — who deal with wind blowing in off the water, dampening their statistics amid scarce crowds at the start of the season. Those days always give way to the summertime crowds and an atmosphere that has earned the stadium the title of MiLB’s “Most Fun Ballpark.”
“It’s a show,” Cyclones manager Gilbert Gómez told Brooklyn Paper in April. “It’s a fun environment to play in. The roller coaster behind and you got all those lights popping up at night, and you got good fans, good crowd when it gets warm.”
“It’s like [you’re] calling baseball games at an amusement park,” Justin Rocke, the team’s lead play-by-play broadcaster and media relations specialist, said. “A carnival, that’s sort of the vibe we’ve got here. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
Here are some of the team’s top promotions of the summer:
Brandon NimmOMG bobblehead giveaway (Friday, June 27)
The “OMG” Mets may be a thing of the past, as former Mets infielder Jose Iglesias signed with the San Diego Padres prior to the start of the 2025 season, but the Cyclones clearly haven’t forgotten the memories of last year’s Mets.
They’ve combined the “OMG” sign with one of the organization’s homegrown talents in Brandon Nimmo, who was drafted by the club in the first round of the 2011 draft. Nimmo spent the 2012 season with the Cyclones, and that season was the only player in the New York-Penn league to hit two grand slams.
The first 2,500 fans at the Cyclones’ June 27 game against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws will receive a Brandon “NimmOMG” bobblehead.
Margaritaville Night; Hawaiian shirt giveaway (Saturday, June 28)
“Welcome to Margaritaville.”
The Cyclones’ June 28 game is sure to be a party. It’s a Saturday night. The first 2,500 fans will receive a Hawaiian shirt. With the special Margaritaville hat ticket package, you’ll get a free straw hat.
The team is also offering two additional ticket promotions for those in the mood to party: the Saturday Backyard Bash and the Parrot Head Party.
The Saturday Backyard Bash is offered for every Saturday home game, and includes four alcoholic drink vouchers, unlimited soft drinks, one free food item and additional drink discounts. For Margaritaville, the Backyard Bash ticket comes with the straw hat.
This evening’s Parrot Head Party includes a ticket on the rooftop, the straw cap, an open bar, buffet and unlimited soft drinks.
Coney Island Franks cap giveaway; Hot dog Hawaiian shirt package (Friday, July 4)
Coney Island is known for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, which it hosts on the Fourth of July every year.
The Cyclones — erm, Coney Island Franks, as they’ll be known that day — play at night, with a 6:40 p.m. first pitch. On top of fireworks, the team has a number of promotions available to fans. The first 2,500 fans will receive a Coney Island Franks cap. The team has two additional ticket offers: the Hot Dog Hawaiian Shirt Package and the Rooftop Rager.
The Hot Dog Hawaiian Shirt Package includes a field box ticket and a racing hot dog Hawaiian shirt. The Rooftop Rager is a July 4th barbeque and open bar on the Brooklyn Rooftop, and includes the Hawaiian shirt.
Seinfeld night (Saturday, Aug. 2)
This one is a New York summer tradition.
Last season’s rendition of the Cyclones’ famed Seinfeld night featured contests, including an Elaine dance contest. The team plays old clips of the show on the scoreboard.
“Calling all close-talkers, low-talkers, anti-dentites and those who look to the cookie,” reads a promotional statement on the Cyclones’ website.
A number of ticket packages, some of which include a Puddy 8-Ball bobblehead, are available for this game. And, because it’s a Saturday, the Backyard Bash package is available.
All fans in attendance will receive “The Kramer” bobblehead.
Pete Alonso ‘He did it!’ bobblehead giveaway (Friday, Aug. 15)
Top of the ninth. One out. Runners on the corners. Fastball count. Mets down 2–0. You remember this night.
Pete Alonso hit a three-run home run to give the Mets a late lead in Game 3 of last season’s Wild Card against the Milwaukee Brewers. They won that game, 4–2 and rode the magic through an unexpected postseason run. In celebration of one of the most memorable seasons in club history, and the berth of a new era of Mets baseball, the Cyclones are hosting a second bobblehead giveaway related to the 2024 Mets.
Alonso played for the Cyclones in 2016, and is one of the top products of the Mets’ farm system. The first 1,000 fans in attendance for their Aug. 16 game against the Hub City Spartanburgers will receive an Alonso “He did it!” bobblehead — which pays tribute to Howie Rose’s call of Alonso’s home run.
Harry Potter night (Saturday, Aug. 30)
The Cyclones will celebrate Harry Potter night for their penultimate home game of 2025.
The first 2,500 fans will receive a Harry Potter house cap. Each fan will be given, at random, one of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. To guarantee a specific house, fans can pre-purchase a special ticket pertaining to one of the houses.
The team is also offering a Harry Potter jersey package, where fans can purchase tickets that include a limited edition Cyclones Harry Potter jersey.
Other Cyclones promotional nights this summer include:
- Widget Cap giveaway (Sunday, June 29)
- Basketball jersey giveaway (Saturday, July 5)
- Sandy the Seagull socks giveaway (Sunday, July 6)
- Amazins jersey giveaway (Friday, July 11)
- #5 Retired jersey giveaway (Sunday, July 13)
- Irish Cap giveaway (Friday, Aug. 1)
- Hawaiian bucket cap giveaway (Sunday, Aug. 3)
- Skyline socks giveaway (Thursday, Aug. 14)
- Hockey jersey giveaway (Saturday, Aug. 16)
- Short sleeve hoodie giveaway (Sunday, Aug. 17)
Cyclones tickets and ticket packages can be purchased on the team’s website. For the Cyclones’ full promotional schedule, see their promotions page.
