The Bullpen at Half Street Fairgrounds

Prices actually aren’t that bad for a place that’s associated with a major league sport. This is a cool area that is designated as somewhere to hang out and find your friends before the baseball game begins (and during, and after if you so choose). They even have live music, cornhole and food trucks! Summer time essentials.

The bullpen is open before and after ballgames. It is a place we hang out at while waiting for the metro crowd to wind down. You can play hacky sack or just visit. The stadium bathroom lines are ridiculous after a game. The lines at the Bullpen are reasonable.

I walked by this place a bunch and never realized what it was with all the stacked shipping containers. Game changer now that i know what is going on behind the shipping containers: this place is a utopia for pre-gamer’s day drinking outside. The food selections are limited. Alcohol is expensive, but I really enjoy the Bayou daiquiris on a hot summer day. For me, what makes this place a four star review is the people watching and the drinking outside.

Such a cool concept! This is a great place to come before a Nationals game or concert. It is a great place to come if you are going to the stadium with a big group, or meeting up with people. The Bullpen is free to enter, they offer a handful of different food and drink vendors, have cornhole and many outhouses. Conveniently you can walk right into the stadium from the bullpen. It is usually busy and crowded, but because the space is so large you don’t have to feel like you are on-​top of anyone.
This is the alternative, and a bit more upscale way to tailgate.

Great place to go before a game. The Bullpen is a giant open area right outside the stadium surrounded by a bunch of cargo containers. Inside they have live music, beer, food trucks, and some yard games. What more can you ask for? If you can get to the area early, stop in for a drink and some music!

The Bullpen is Nat’s Park’s answer to the lack of parking lot tailgating. It’s honestly quite brilliant on their part… Why not make a profit off of the people that want to tailgate before a game? I have a hard time giving a parking lot more than 3 stars. I mean seriously, that’s all the Bullpen is. It’s a parking lot full of food and beverage (and tobacco) vendors, there is a stage for live music at one end, a row of corn-​hole boards at the other and a tented off area with picnic tables. It may be great place to gather before a game or a concert… but it’s still just a parking lot.

The concept which I would guess is «tailgating» is awesome. The lack of shade is not so awesome. Please, do something! Plant a tree? Anything. It would be nice to watch the band in the shade rather than standing next to porta potties Bouncers are cute and nice! :)

There was a great band before the Nationals game. This is the place to be before the game. Cornhole tournament on one end of the lot and a band on the other. The beer lines look long but it is actually just people standing there after their purchase. Keep walking toward the bar.

What’s not to love about the bullpen? Free entry. Open air bar with food and beverage vendors galore. Cornhole. Radar Gun. Gathering of the cool kids before every nationals game. Live music.
If you don’t go to the bull pen before the nats game, you’re doing it wrong!

We were catching a game while in town for a conference and when we got off the metro the Bullpen was right in front of us, we thought, hey why not?
It’s a really great concept, grab a beer, listen to live music and hang out before the game. I like the re-​purposing of shipping containers. Pretty calm vibe too. Being a Phillies fan and wearing Phillies gear I anticipated some jabs, but Nats fans are pretty docile. So we stood and enjoyed our beers.
The reason it’s 3 stars is the beers are 8 bucks. Yes, cheaper than the stadium. However, I learned that inside the stadium domestic beers are $ 6 before the first pitch. So there’s just a heads up for you.
Overall a great idea that I wish more ball parks had. But it’s definitely 3.5 stars.

Cool drinking spot before the game. Drinks are a bit expensive but hey, what can you do. Highly suggest coming here with a group of people and pre-​gaming the game! They have food options too which I didn’t try but hope to in the future. The only thing it was lacking was a little more seating or covered area to protect you from the sun. It is basically just a big parking lot with some bars and a ton of people. Cool concept.

Okay… so, fact of life… anyone who’s going to watch a Nats game grabs a pre-​game drink at the Bullpen, period.
I love the way they’ve set up shipping containers to encircle the area known as the Bullpen, and there’s almost always live music performances by local bands (mostly) before the game. Perfect place to sit down and grab a beer with friends/​family while enjoying the sunshine. Enough said.

Great pit stop before a Nats game. There are several beer stands and games set up for everyone.

I just simply love the look of the Bull Pen – the cargo crate set up along with a bunch of vendors on the sides has a lot of potential to be an awesome pre game place!
Yes, the prices of alcohol — 8 dollars for a beer, 11 dollars for a mixed drink — are pretty expensive! But it’s cheaper than the park and there is live music and such a lively crowd.
I bumped the stars down because the security or door people before you get in are pretty rude. They kept asking me if this was my real Id the whole time. If I had a fake ID, would not go here…
But other than that, I love the picnic tables and extra space. I prefer going here free night time games because the energy is so awesome when the nats win!!!

This is a fun spot for the 21+ crowd to hang out before, and sometimes after, a Nationals game. They have live music, decent drink prices, corn hole and more. If you like the sun this is he place to go, it’s all open air. There is a back exit that leads straight out to the Nationals Stadium.

The Bullpen is THE spot to pre-​game before the Nats snag another W. They have a live band playing on stage and they’re pretty good! Usually some older rock which is all good with me…
The Bullpen also has food trucks, corn hole, and now a radar gun to test out your arm. Grab your friends, a few beers, and get ready for another W at Nats Park!

The Bullpen is an open air area that you (and friends!) can grab drinks at before a game, concert or for any reason you can imagine.
There are picnic tables, a stage (often live bands play), and tons of places to buy beer. There are usually food trucks parked in the Bullpen as well. Prices are pretty good for being next to a major stadium.

Holy good time… If you’re looking for a spot to kill time before a Nats game or celebrate afterwards, look no further than the concrete jungle that is the Bullpen.
Live music, plenty of bars, corn hole boards, food trucks, and plenty of Natitude.
Extremely, extremely crowded. But that’s to be expected I suppose! Still worth a visit.

Nothing better to do? Come here and listen to live music, get some beer and try some of the local cuisine sold in trucks.
Plenty of security to do crowd control, petty fights and thievery.
Easily accessible by metro. Beware that after 9pm no kids are allowed inside the premises.
Lots of porto potties available. Just pick one without human barf or else…

Ok, we need to get serious for a second. Sit down, we’re gonna have a talk. Take a drink of water, you’re gonna need it.
If you haven’t seen or been to the bull pen– you need to go there. If you love giant outdoor parties with live music and lots of beer, this is the place for you. Free?
It’s free entry. Yes FREE. You do have to be 21, but it’s free. There is a ridiculous amount of beer stands and there are a couple of food trucks and a a couple of food vendors. But literally, this place is filled with people who are going to the Nationals game, or people who just want to party right next to the Nationals game. They serve summer shandy and they have about 10 – 15 games of corn hole going at all times. Bathrooms?
They’re porta potties– hence the knock off of one star. I’m sorry– as a society — we should have moved away from porta potties a while ago. This place is stationary– there should be real bathrooms.
It looks like the lines are endless for all of the beer stands, but those are just people standing in front of them. Each time I went to get a beer — it took me 3 minutes.
I’m assuming its only open on game day — but if you want to have a great time outside and it just happens to be a game day– there’s nothing stopping you. You don’t have to show a ticket– you don’t have to wear a Nationals jersey. Just go. I was so tunnel vision from the metro to the stadium that I didn’t realize there was 1000 people partying in the distance.
The key to this place, is it’s hidden. See a bunch of large shipping crates off in the distance? Walk towards them. IT’S A TRAP! No Admiral Akbar– it’s a party!