Everything you need to know about Solheim Cup Fan Fest in downtown Toledo
What is Solheim
The Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament contested by teams representing Europe and the United States. While the tournament will be held at Inverness Club, all off-course festivities will be held in downtown. Opening Ceremonies are on Friday, September 3 with the tournament ending Monday, September 6.
The first Cup was held in 1990 and has grown in popularity ever since. Named after Karsten Solheim, a Norwegian-American golf club manufacturer, the event draws fans from throughout the United States and Europe. Over 150,000 enthusiasts are expected to come through the gates at Inverness over the length of the tournament to watch and cheer on their team.
What’s happening downtown
While all the on-course activities are happening at Inverness Club, the off-course fun takes place in downtown. The Solheim Cup Opening Ceremonies Fan Fest will be held Friday, September 3, and Saturday, September 4. The Friday events will consist of live music performances, arts and science demonstrations, Opening Ceremonies with Team USA and Team Europe and a performance from Gwen Stefani. Stefani is a three-time Grammy award winner and has also received an American Music Award, Brit Award, World Music Award, two Billboard Music Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards. VH1 has ranked her 13th on their “100 Greatest Women in Music” list.
Friday, September 3 Fan Fest Schedule
2:00—Gates open with local bands and fan fest activities in the general admission area
5:00—Opening Ceremonies will be livestreamed throughout the event footprint
6:00—General Admission stages come alive again with local bands and activities
8:30—Main stage, Gwen Stefani performs, and the show will be livestreamed throughout the event footprint
10:00—Celebration finale – Fireworks display
The fun continues Saturday evening with a concert by Chris Young, also in Promenade Park. He is a multi-platinum country singer and songwriter. In 2006, he was declared the Season 4 winner of the television program Nashville Star, a singing competition that aired on the USA Network. A member of the Grand Ole Opry, he has globally surpassed the four billion streams mark for his songs, which includes 11 No. 1 singles including “Aw Naw”, “Who I Am with You” and “Lonely Eyes”. His most recent hit is “Famous Friends.”
Saturday, September 4 Fan Fest Schedule
5:00—Gates Open
5:00—Enjoy Toledo’s favorite food trucks and specialty bars, exclusive to the Solheim Fan Fest experience
6:15—Promenade Park stage, Singer-Songwriter Eric Sowers
8:30—Promenade Park stage, Chris Young performs
Additional Downtown Events
- Freighter Golf: Putt-Putt Hole-In-One Challenge
- Take a swing onboard the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship’s putt-putt green. Spanning nearly 30 ft. across the museum ship’s deck, our custom-built "Freighter Golf" putt-putt green aims to challenge any age or skill level. Every hole in one takes home a prize! The green is open through Monday, September 6.
- AList Selfie Experience
- Smile! The AList Selfie Experience is an selfie museum featuring interactive art, artwork from Toledo artists, along with socially conscious artwork, Toledo local attractions, and current events such as the Solheim Cup fan experience. They will be open through Monday, September 6.
- Vistula Mini-Golf Trail
- Enjoy mini-golf, DJs, live bands, food/drinks (available for purchase), tours of new loft apartments and more. Participating Businesses include The Lofts at WB, Toledo Spirits, Heavy, Bellwether, Tolhouse, and The Metroparks. This is a free event. September 4-6, from 5-9 p.m. daily.
- The TOLEDO Store
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Popping up in downtown Toledo the week leading up to and during the Solheim Cup, The TOLEDO Store is your headquarters for everything "Toledo" branded! Featured products include long and short sleeved T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, glassware, and even a little stuffed frog. Conveniently located in the middle of all the action! The TOLEDO Store is across from Promenade Park on Summit St. and right next to Levis Square at Madison Ave and St. Clair St.
- Shops on Summit Pop-Up
- The lobby of the HCR building, or the Summit Center, is holding a pop-up retail market. The Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce has brought in several local, minority owned vendors to have a presence in downtown this week and celebrate the Solheim Cup. Stop by this week from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Monday. The building is located at 333 N. Summit St
- Party on the Patio
- Head to the Garden at Focaccia's post-concert for drinks, snacks and live music from DJ Jason Kelly
- Urban Soul Happy Hour and Mixer
- The Urban Soul Cultural Experience will highlight minority owned local businesses, black and brown entrepreneurs, and women-owned businesses in conjunction with one of the Worlds Largest Women’s LPGA Golf Event, the Solheim Cup. Urban Soul will be held at Hotbox Bistro at 1919 Monroe St. Happy Hour is from 5:30-8:00 p.m. and Urban Soul Mixer is from 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
- Tolhouse Preview
- Considering membership to private club, Tolhouse? Check it out this weekend at their first public open weekend. Register here to attend.
- All events happening in downtown
Need to know
The Solheim Cup Fan Fest is a cashless event. No cash will be accepted as a form of payment.
There is a clear bag policy in place. Attendees are encouraged to not bring any type of bags, however the following are permitted,
- Bags that are clear
- Plastic, Vinyl, or PVC bags that do not exceed 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar)
- Small clutch bags
- Approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap. Small clutch bags can be taken into the event with one of the clear plastic bag options.
An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at a gate designated for this purpose.
Food and beverage will be available for purchase inside Fan Fest from 20 restaurant vendors and nine food trucks.
Masks
Official statement from the LPGA: For Fan Fest events that include the concerts on Friday and Saturday, while outside, the ability to distance from large crowds will be difficult. As a result, masks will be required upon entry at Fan Fest events on Friday and Saturday. Masks will be available at all points of entry. All Fan Fest volunteers and staff will be required to wear masks, when unable to social distance. Masks will be required on shuttle busses to and from Fan Fest events.
Transportation
You’ll have no problems getting downtown for all the fun. You can drive and park at any garage and lot in downtown except for the Summit Street Garage (21 N Summit St.) and The Depot Parking Garage (202 N Summit St.). There are over 25 surface parking lots and eight easily accessible parking garages to use for Fan Fest. See all parking formation here.
However, if you’d rather take a shuttle, there is a Park N Ride option available. Shuttles will be running from the Red Lot (Great Eastern) and the Blue Lot (Hollywood Casino) to the event beginning at 1:30 p.m. and will run every 15 minutes. The last shuttle to leave from downtown will be at midnight.
Additionally, you can get a ride from Black & White Taxi. You can even reserve your ride in advance. Taxi and ride share loading zones are on Huron St.
TARTA is running normal operations. All rides are free. Find the route that works best for you based on your location. For example, you can park at Franklin Park Mall and take the Bus 19 or 20F to get to the downtown hub. Remember, this is a normal route, not an express shuttle. There may be stops along the way.
Please familiarize yourself with the map below to understand road closures and where to enter Fan Fest.
