Carnival Cruise Lines and the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, hosted a special day of fun, food and baseball on Sunday, June 8, at Dr Pepper Ballpark for 500 children and their families from across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

The inaugural “Carnival Kids Day” was part of the cruise line’s multi-year partnership with the ‘Riders.

“Carnival Kids Day” participants came from a variety of Dallas/Fort Worth- area organizations, including YMCA Frisco, Plano and Irving, Children’s Medical Center Foundation, Frisco Family Services, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club of Denton County, Collin County Frisco Branch, Collin County Plano Branch, Greater Fort Worth, Greater Dallas and Rockwall County.

During Sunday’s RoughRiders vs. the Midland RockHounds game, part of an eight-game home stand, children and their families participated in a variety of activities and took photos with RoughRiders players. In addition, every participant received complimentary game tickets and parking.

For this year’s Kids Day event, Carnival added its own signature brand of fun with experiences that included:
•  An inflatable batter’s box and small ball toss, providing kids the opportunity to work on their swing or practice their pitching technique.
•  An airbrush face painting booth and art station where youngsters could create their own souvenir drawstring backpack.
•  A hula hoop activity and photo booth that allowed fans the chance to pose for their own take-home baseball card.
•  A Pucker Powder candy stand to further sweeten up the day.

“The inaugural Carnival Kids Day was a huge success and much like our cruises provided children and their families an opportunity to create a lifetime of wonderful memories,” said Jim Berra, Carnival’s chief marketing officer. “We’re thrilled to partner with the RoughRiders and give these deserving kids and families a memorable day at the ballpark filled with great activities, food and lots of smiles.”

As the Official Cruise Line of the Frisco RoughRiders, Carnival is hosting a number of fun activities throughout the 2014 season. At each game, fans enjoy two specially designed promotions. Every time a RoughRiders player hits a home run, fans hear the sound of the Carnival ship horn, fireworks launch from the iconic Carnival funnel in the outfield and celebratory graphics illuminate the LED signs around the stadium. Carnival is also matching monetary donations made by fans during the age-old Texas League tradition of “Passing the Boot” for the RoughRiders Foundation, team and individual players after each RoughRiders’ home run.

A new promotion that debuted this weekend is the “Carnival Crush Inning” during which fans are randomly selected to win a free Carnival cruise for two, and a $250 cash prize from the team, based on RoughRiders batting performance during that inning. The contestant will win a four-day cruise if a RoughRider gets a hit during the specified inning, and will be upgraded to a seven-day cruise if the home team hits a home run. Fans can sign up for the promotion at the stadium or online before the game at RidersBaseball.com.  The cruise line is also sponsoring the Carnival Getaway Grill featuring unlimited ballpark favorites like hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, bratwursts, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, and Dr Pepper products for one all-inclusive price.