Ravens fans to see new M&T Bank Stadium entrance this season

Ravens fans heading into M&T Bank Stadium will find a different front door this season, and the change is about more than a prettier entrance. The third and final phase of a $435 million renovation is pushing the stadium’s secure footprint back toward Hamburg Street, opening a larger North Plaza and creating an entertainment district that is meant to draw people in before kickoff and keep them there after the game.

By the Ravens’ preseason opener against the Eagles on Aug. 15 at 7 p.m., fans should start noticing the new flow immediately. The stadium entrance will feel more open, the concourse will be wider, and the North Plaza will function as the grand entrance and year-round gathering space the team has been promising. For South Baltimore, that means a bigger pregame and postgame crowd moving through bars, restaurants, parking lots, and sidewalks near the stadium instead of simply passing through and leaving.

The Ravens say the North Plaza will include a performance stage, LED video boards, a Ravens retail store and an indoor sports bar. CBS Baltimore reported that the development also includes The Talon, a concert venue built for roughly 3,000 people, along with The Landing, a rooftop deck above the Flock Shop for networking events, social gatherings and private celebrations. The team says general-admission fans will have tickets scanned before entering the concourse, so they can move into the secured footprint more seamlessly.

Ravens president Sashi Brown has said the aim is to give Baltimore a world-class facility and bring tailgate-style socializing closer to the field. Senior vice president of marketing Brad Downs called the third phase the culmination of the project and said it is designed to make a major impact on the overall game-day experience. That impact is supposed to extend beyond football, as the Ravens push the stadium toward more non-game uses and more year-round activity.

The renovation is part of a long-term collaboration backed by Maryland’s 2022 HB 896, which raised the Camden Yards Sports Complex debt cap from $235 million to $1.2 billion and allowed up to $600 million for M&T Bank Stadium. The Maryland Stadium Authority says the project carries a 35% minority business enterprise participation goal. Phase 1 was delivered in August 2024 and included a redesigned and relocated press box, an upgraded club level, and elevator and escalator modernization.

For Baltimore, the payoff is not just a new entrance. The real test will be whether the investment changes the rhythm around the stadium district on game days and on the many non-game days the Ravens want to fill. If the North Plaza becomes a true destination, the benefits could reach nearby businesses in Pigtown and South Baltimore long after the final whistle.