‘Like the City Is Coming Back to Life': Fenway Gears Up for Red Sox Fans' Return

It is beginning to look a lot like baseball season around Fenway Park.

On Tuesday, banners started going up outside the famed park, as those who make their living at games prepared.

"You really just want to get the wheels on the track, and get going," David Littlefield, known outside Fenway as "The Sausage Guy," said Tuesday. "Oh my God, after last year, it is palpable. Even the energy around here today is fantastic, feels like the city is coming back to life."

The Boston Red Sox announced Monday that single-game tickets for April home games will go on sale to the general public this week.

The team said tickets will initially be priced at 2020 individual-game prices and will fluctuate based on demand and variables like the date, number of tickets available, opponent and weather conditions.

Over the past few weeks, season ticket holders have received priority access to tickets for the 2021 regular season.

With capacity capped at 12%, Littlefield knows it will be hard at first, but he is eager to get started.

"Forty-two-hundred out here, we are all going to struggle to make a day's pay, but it is great to be working again, and that is the most important thing," Littlefield said.

Vendors almost weren't able to operate on Opening Day. Over the weekend, vendors started getting emails from the city saying they would not be allowed outside Fenway until at least June.

Attorney Glen Hannington, who has represented vendors for decades, says after some back and forth with the city, a deal was reached to allow vendors to open in time for next Thursday's game.

"Am I surprised this ended very quickly? No, I am not, it just shouldn't have happened," Hannington said.

A limited number of remaining tickets will be available to the general public for the month of April at redsox.com/tickets beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday. Tickets will be sold in pods of two and four, with a limit of one pod per game for each fan.

Tickets for Opening Day on April 1 are not included in the sale to the general public.

Those lucky enough to score tickets will notice some changes. Gone are physical tickets — everything is digital this year. Bags are not allowed inside Fenway Park, and those going to a game will have to fill out a health survey on the MLB app before entering.

Also, the ballpark will be divided into "neighborhood zones," where ticket holders can access the designated gates for entry and exit nearest their seat location as labeled on their game ticket.

For Anne McGee, the return of the buzz around Fenway is a welcome sight. McGee has painted dozens of pictures of the park. On Tuesday afternoon, she was outside Gate D, working on her latest piece.

"I am really excited, because we need something to be excited about, and happy about," McGee said. "Everything is going to be different, but that is why this is a very exciting thing, because we have been suppressed for so long."