There are certain Chicago traditions you don’t have to explain to any sports fan. One of them is being a diehard Chicago Cubs fan. For my girls’ night out crew, the Cubs home opener has been a reason to feel twenty-something again for decades. Part of it is our love of baseball. Lately, though, it’s also a collective toast to the women who knew us when we were splitting rent, drinking cheap prosecco, and carrying the kind of optimism that made an all-day, all-night Thursday feel essential. If you’ve been doing Opening Day with the same group since your roommate era, you already know the truth: the home opener isn’t just a game. It’s an annual gathering in fan gear, no matter the weather.
This year, the Cubs open at Wrigley Field on Thursday, March 26, against the Nationals, with first pitch set for 1:20 p.m. CT. Early arrivals can also grab the annual 2026 Cubs magnet schedule giveaway. For us, it’s always a coin flip whether we make first pitch. Making the rounds at old haunts beforehand, now mixed with a few new ones, is part of the tradition. Thankfully, Bernie’s, Murphy’s, Cubby Bear, and Sluggers are still holding strong.
The Cult of Clark and Addison
Calling the Cubs home opener a cult is said with love, because it absolutely is. It has had its own dress code, emotional vocabulary, and weather-denial policy since I was in grade school. The beauty of this day is that nobody expects perfection. They expect stories. And we have plenty of them. Back when we lived in the city, we’d play nine holes at Waveland in the morning, then head straight to a Wrigley tailgate. There was the year we showed up in full ski gear, only for the game to get snowed out, which turned into an all-night party in Wrigleyville and a collective sick day for the makeup game the next afternoon. And there’s nothing like a Yak-Zies tailgate, chicken-tang pizza in hand, live bands playing, and WGN broadcasting on site.
We expect to run into old boyfriends, college friends, someone’s cousin from Wisconsin, and at least one woman in a vintage Ryne Sandberg jersey who looks better at 11 a.m. than the rest of us do at a wedding. The opener is less about nine innings of baseball and more about returning to a place that has held so many versions of you.
That’s why this day remains a priority, even for women now scattered across the country who have been making the rounds together for years. The Wrigleyville opener is just one example. Despite the chaos, it feels oddly intimate, and I’m certain the same is true for fans in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, or anywhere else baseball holds that kind of weight. The same corners can hold your 24-year-old self, your current self, and the version of you still taking shape. The nostalgia doesn’t feel distant. It feels present, alive, and close enough to step right back into.
Dress for Chicago, Not for the Fantasy in Your Head
Because this is Chicago, and because baseball schedules and weather rarely cooperate, especially on Opening Day, it’s always a full roll of the dice. There should be FanDuel odds on the temperature swings alone. As of March 25, the early forecast for Thursday calls for clouds, a high of 60, a low of 38, and a 65% chance of rain. In other words, a typical day at Wrigley. Layers aren’t optional, they’re a survival strategy.
Think mountain gear in spring, wool base layer, Patagonia quarter-zip, and rain shell. Hat is still TBD, knit or ball cap depending on how the morning feels. Dress strategically and you can peel layers as the mimosas, adrenaline, or postgame crowds start to warm things up.
If someone in the group chat realizes at 10:42 a.m. that she somehow owns nothing blue anymore, Wrigleyville Sports is the emergency stop right across from the park. Our crew has Cubs gear for every season, but on Opening Day, panic-buying an extra layer doesn’t count as overspending. It’s logistical team spirit.
Start With Mimosas, Obviously
No serious Girls’ Night Out home opener strategy begins at the gates. It starts with breakfast-adjacent fun. Since our old-school go-to, Raw Bar, closed, it’s been a bit of trial and error. This year, we’re heading to Uncommon Ground to switch things up and build a solid base.
For the crew that wants to fully embrace the “this is an all-day event and we accept the consequences” plan, Bernie’s is a strong pregame anchor with its longtime neighborhood bar energy. If your group leans slightly more polished before the inevitable descent into bleacher-country chaos, Alma at Hotel Zachary opens at 11 a.m. for Cubs home day games and offers a more composed first cocktail, more space to move, and a chance to keep the eyeliner intact, at least for a little while.
The Betting Window, but not the focus
As of March 25, FanDuel listed the Cubs as heavy favorites at -230 on the moneyline and -111 on the run line (-1.5). Based on decades of Cubs home openers, it’s about a 50/50 proposition. In other words, a coin flip.
If you’re looking at the board, player props might offer more value. PCA is sitting at -260 and Alex Bregman at -240 to record a hit, but at those prices, I’d rather buy another round and save the bets for another day.
If you want one clean angle for the girls, Cubs moneyline is the emotionally consistent play. Matthew Boyd has the nod and will start on the mound for the Cubs, who are juggling outfielders and utility players after an intense World Baseball Classic that left Seiya Suzuki nursing a knee injury. Spring optimism, though, has a way of making everybody look more ready than they are for “next year is here” and that’s part of the appeal.
Happy Hour Is the Encore, Not the Backup Plan
The best home opener days are paced like a good novel. The game is the centerpiece, but the postgame chapter is where you figure out what kind of day it really was. Did the Cubs win and suddenly everyone believes in October before April even begins? Did the weather turn dark and stormy, forcing the entire group under one awning with laughter and, God forbid, fried food? This is why you don’t sprint home after the final out.
For a proper dive-bar victory lap, Murphy’s, Cubby Bear, and Sluggers remain some of the best landings in the neighborhood. Each is exactly what you want after a day game: unpretentious, storied, and Chicago to a tee. If your crew wants to pivot from rowdy to chic before calling it, sliding back toward Hotel Zachary’s Alma offers a softer finish and a place to debrief the game, the outfits, and who among you still has the most Opening Day stamina.
Final Toast
The Cubs home opener has never been polished, predictable, or even especially sensible. Every year gives us something to talk about in the group chat for weeks afterward. It’s an annual connector, and that’s part of its charm. It’s worth clearing the calendar and accepting that the next day’s Zoom calls might be a little tougher. It asks you to believe spring has arrived, even when the lakefront and barometric pressure suggest otherwise. It asks you to show up with your girls, your layers, and your annual willingness to treat this particular Thursday like a national holiday.
And maybe that’s why it lasts. The day isn’t really about being young again. It’s about recognizing that the best traditions grow with you. They get smarter, warmer, better accessorized, and a bit more strategic at the sportsbook window. It’s a reminder that we still know how to celebrate, and when to dial it back.
Cheers to my crew: Denise, Amy, and Beth. And to my brother and dad, who have always been part of my baseball story, my first catcher and coach, and part of the Opening Day tradition at Wrigley.
Go Cubbies!
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