ValleyCats Baseball + Fireworks at Casey Stadium

The Tri-City ValleyCats play their 2026 home schedule at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, informally known as “The Joe,” at 80 Vandenburgh Avenue in Troy, New York, from mid-May through late August. The season opens on a Saturday evening with the ValleyCats hosting the Québec Capitales, with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. and first pitch at 6:30 p.m. A fireworks show follows the game. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League, an MLB Partner League founded in 1993 that operates independent professional baseball across the Midwest and Northeast, and the Troy franchise has been one of the circuit’s consistent performers since joining the Frontier League in 2021 after completing 20 seasons as a Houston Astros affiliate in the New York-Penn League.

Post-game fireworks shows are a regular feature of the summer schedule, with the Independence Day weekend series from July 3–5 anchoring the season’s most attended stretch, including confirmed post-game fireworks on July 3. The Frontier League All-Star Game takes place July 16 at The Joe, bringing the league’s top players from across both divisions to Troy for the mid-season showcase. Dates featuring Sunday home games operate with gates opening at 3:30 p.m. and first pitch at 5:00 p.m. Kids’ activities available throughout the season include face painting, batting cage access, and artisan market-style vendor areas on the concourse. Food trucks and local concessionaires rotate through the season.

Troy and the Hudson River

Troy occupies the east bank of the Hudson River at the point where the river widens before its final approach to Albany, and the Hudson River waterfront is visible from upper concourse seats at The Joe. The city has one of the most intact 19th-century commercial streetscapes in upstate New York, with River Street and Congress Street together making up a walkable historic district that predates the ballpark by more than a century. The Hudson-Mohawk Urban Cultural Park, which runs along the waterfront from the Federal Dam south toward Cohoes, interprets the industrial history of the region and provides a context for the mill-town architecture that surrounds the stadium area. The Rensselaer County Historical Society’s Hart Cluett House, open for tours through the summer, is one of the better house museums in the Capital District for families interested in 19th-century American domestic life.

If You’re Going with Kids
The ValleyCats structure game-night programming specifically around younger fans, with batting cage access, a kids’ zone behind the left-field wall, and themed promotion nights throughout the season. Fireworks nights draw the largest crowds; arriving 30 minutes before gates open on July 3–5 is recommended for parking and seating position.

Where to Stay

Troy’s downtown lodging options are limited but include several independent and boutique properties within walking distance of the waterfront. Saratoga Springs, 40 minutes north, provides a broader range of accommodation during its summer racing season, which overlaps with the ValleyCats’ schedule. Albany, directly across the Hudson, has the most complete hotel inventory in the Capital District and is connected to Troy by bridge. For vacation rentals near the Hudson River and the Capital Region waterway system, look on Lake.com for properties positioned within easy range of The Joe and the Troy waterfront. Summer fireworks nights fill quickly regardless of venue; plan lodging several weeks ahead for July 3–5.