MLB All-Star Weekend: Atlanta Festivities Fuse Baseball, Culture, and Star Power

Boardroom captured the sights and sounds from an action-packed, eventful MLB All-Star Week in Atlanta featuring great games, music, entertainment, and family fun.

MLB All-Star Week 2025 brought the baseball world to Atlanta and Cobb County, Georgia, for five days of action-packed, fun-filled, fan-friendly festivities.

From the HBCU Swingman Classic honoring Black baseball excellence to a celebrity softball game filled with star power and surprises, Truist Park and its surrounding venues became the epicenter of sports, music, fashion, and entertainment. Fans were treated to everything from CC Sabathia’s heroics and Quavo’s bravado to the Derby dominance of Cal Raleigh and the first-ever All-Star Game swing-off, punctuated by Kyle Schwarber’s walk-off blasts.

Across five days, baseball’s past, present, and future collided in spectacular fashion — and Atlanta rose to the moment.

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Kicking things off on Friday, the annual HBCU Swingman Classic brought 50 top HBCU players from 16 different schools to Truist Park for a night of baseball and a celebration of the incredible contributions Black baseball has brought to the game. In addition to dance routines, band performances, and a step show, there were special appearances from Sabathia, Andre Dawson, Dusty Baker, and special guest photographer Ken Griffey Jr., whose unmistakably sweet stroke inspired the game’s name.

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The next day, the sport’s top prospects took center stage in the Futures Game at Truist. Dodgers Single-A outfielder Josue De Paula‘s three-run homer in the fourth inning gave the National League a 4-2 win over the American League. De Paula has spent offseasons training with the likes of Juan Soto and Elly De La Cruz in the Dominican Republic, shining in the showcase of MLB’s next bright stars.

Meanwhile, steps away from the right field porch at the Omni Hotel, luminaries from music, sports, television, fashion, and film were getting ready for the evening’s celebrity game by taking batting practice in a converted ballroom on the third floor. Some celebrities came in with lofty expectations of hitting big home runs and winning the MVP, while others set out to have fun and avoid injury. When asked who he thought would win MVP, rap superstar and former Boardroom cover star Quavo immediately said, “me, because I’m the shit.” J.I.D also said himself, “because I’m the best.”

Quavo got some other votes in our unofficial MVP straw poll. Real Housewives star Kandi Burruss chose the Atlanta-based Migos frontman because “even though he’s a music artist, he’s super athletic.” Comedian Funny Marco agreed, because he said he’s going to lean on Quavo: “I’m really not going to do much, because I dance for a living. I’m a professional twerker. So I have to twerk after the event.”

From Quavo to Latin music superstar Myke Towers, players said they were trying to model their softball games after Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., while others like J.I.D pulled out former Brave Deion Sanders, a baseball phenom in his own right but more known for his abilities on the gridiron than on the diamond.

Once batting practice concluded and the players mingled over a light buffet supper, they headed across the street to Truist to battle for softball supremacy. The players congregated beyond the outfield gate and made the long sprint to their respective dugouts after a raucous introductory ceremony. Once the game got underway, Quavo started on the mound for the AL and proceeded to allow back-to-back home runs to influencers Nicky Cass, who also homered later in the game, and Jake Storiale. Two batters later, Puerto Rican rapper and singer Wisin ripped a homer to right to make it 4-0 NL. Lucky for Quavo, that was just a fraction of the scoring that night, and the runs, like the laughs from the antics of Druski, kept coming.

Terrell Owens tied the game with a grand slam the next inning, while everyone from Fear of God founder Jerry Lorenzo to comedy legend Chris Tucker were smacking round-trippers. But then the MVP frontrunner all along, or at least who it should’ve been, stepped in. Just over two weeks before his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Sabathia smashed two towering home runs, including the game-winning three-run shot in the seventh inning right before he pitched the final frame to close out a wild and entertaining 17-15 win for the AL.

As the fans headed for the exits, the players returned to their respective hotel rooms to freshen up for the celebrity game afterparty at Rosé and Rye, on the rooftop of Buckhead’s Colee Hotel. As Zaytoven spun tunes on the ones and twos, guests celebrated with a Buffalo Trace Whiskey and orange bitters cocktail called The Closer, a vodka, strawberry puree, and lime drink called the 7th Inning Stretch, and a blanco tequila, Cointreau, agave, and lime concoction known as The Walk-Up. On the outdoor terrace, VIPs lounged and luxuriated next to a live cigar rolling station. Then, fresh off their performances on the softball diamond, J.I.D and Quavo did what they know best and each performed a set of new releases mixed with their timeless classic hits.

But athletes and celebrities weren’t the only ones to revel in the All-Star festivities. All weekend long, family-friendly fun activities, activations, and interactive baseball experiences took over the Cobb Galleria Centre mall at the MLB All-Star Village, spanning over 500,000 square feet. At the MLB Life space, a live DJ played all week as fans got to take a photo with a replica of the Home Run Derby Chain next to an exhibit of the real-life chains awarded to the Derby’s previous winners. Throughout the course of Saturday and Sunday, Atlanta-based artist Paper Frank painted a giant mural that bridged baseball, graffiti, and fine art, as onlookers admired his handiwork. Additionally, a select set of fans got to take home a customized hat featuring patches inspired by Paperfrank’s creation.

Later that morning, hundreds of fans gathered for a daily live raffle drawing where 24 lucky winners received packs from a box of Bowman baseball cards, which included one special autographed card in the box set. While fans reserved spots for a set of custom, limited-edition hats, 21st-century cap designs lined the walls, including collaborations with Spike Lee, Fear of God, Travis Scott, Takashi Murakami, Off-White, Levi’s, Fred Durst, and Ghostbusters. A couple of hours later, influencer Bat King held a daily trivia contest, with the winner receiving a custom Victus bat. Later that evening, the MLB Draft began at the Coca-Cola Roxy at The Battery, where the Washington Nationals took high school shortstop Eli Willits with the first overall pick.

As Monday rolled around, the stage was set for one of the more highly anticipated events of the entire MLB All-Star Weekend in the 2025 T-Mobile Home Run Derby, where eight of the most powerful hitters on the planet duke it out in an epic long ball showdown. In the first round, Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz put on a show, leading the field with 21 home runs, including a 513-foot moonshot that was the longest non-Coors Field dinger in Derby history. Sitting in the right field seats was a treat when lefties like Cruz came to the plate, mashing balls all the way to the upper deck as fans raced to catch a prized souvenir.

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, Minnesota Twins outfielder and Georgia native Byron Buxton, and 2025 MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh advanced to the semifinals, eliminating hometown hero Matt Olson, the Braves’ first baseman. Both Raleigh and Athletics first baseman Brent Rooker had 17 first-round homers, so they broke the tie by measuring their longest longball of the round, which the Seattle Mariners catcher took by 0.96 inches, 470.62 to 470.54 feet.

Raleigh, known as the Big Dumper for his ample posterior, hit 38 home runs before the All-Star break, second-most in MLB history to this point behind Barry Bonds‘ record-breaking 2001 season. In Atlanta, he was raking from both sides of the plate with his father, Todd Sr., pitching, and his brother, Todd Jr., catching. Cal turned it up the rest of the competition, hitting 19 home runs in the semifinals to eliminate Cruz and 18 to best Caminero in the finals. The Year of the Dumper continued as Raleigh became the first catcher to ever capture the Home Run Derby title, and with it the hallowed Home Run Derby chain, which he told Boardroom he’d probably put on display rather than wear on a regular basis.

The following afternoon, fans lined The Battery, right outside Truist Park, for the annual All-Star Red Carpet Show presented by Deer Park, eager to get a glimpse of their favorite players and their families, dressed in their designer best. As they finished off the carpet route, numerous players stopped by to chat with Boardroom on a mix of business-focused, baseball-related, and lighthearted questions before heading to the stage for their official MLB Network interview. The players then had a few hours to rest up and get ready for the main event, the 95th midsummer classic.

The stars were out even before the game began. Atlanta legends Ludacris and Jermaine Dupri performed “Welcome To Atlanta” before the starting lineups were announced, and the Zac Brown Band sang a harmonious national anthem before fireworks went off and fighter jets roared through the evening sky. The NL didn’t wait long after that to get to work.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and hometown favorite Ronald Acuña Jr. opened things up with back-to-back singles off AL starter Tarik Skubal, followed by a two-run double from Arizona’s Ketel Marte. The NL then added on to its lead in the sixth with a three-run homer by Pete Alonso and a solo shot by Corbin Carroll to take a 6-0 lead.

After the sixth inning, the lights went out at the ballpark as baseball displayed a spectacular tribute to Braves all-time great Hank Aaron, re-enacting his then record-breaking 715th career home run on 7/15 itself. The lighting, the fireworks, the projected images and video, and the game call from April 8, 1974, may have been the highlight of the entire weekend. Watch for yourself in case you missed it:

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The AL responded with a furious rally, sparked by a three-run homer from Brent Rooker and capped in the ninth by RBI hits from Bobby Witt Jr. and Steven Kwan to tie the game at 6-6 and force the first-ever All-Star swing-off. Rooker, Randy Arozarena, and Jonathan Arranda stepped in for the AL, while the NL countered with Kyle Stowers, Pete Alonso, and Kyle Schwarber. After Rooker gave the AL a slight edge, Schwarber sealed the win with three straight home runs, punctuated by a monster shot near my vantage point in the right field upper deck, earning MVP honors and putting an exclamation point on a thrilling end to the contest.

From the emotional tribute to Hank Aaron to the fireworks of the T-Mobile Home Run Derby and the intensity of the first-ever All-Star swing-off, Atlanta delivered a showcase that was as dynamic and diverse as the game itself. Over five days, baseball wasn’t just played — it was celebrated, reimagined, and elevated, with moments that honored the sport’s history while spotlighting its future. Whether on the diamond, in the dugouts, or across The Battery, the 2025 MLB All-Star Week reminded fans why the game continues to resonate far beyond the field.