The Columbus Blue Jackets are rolling out a full slate of theme nights, giveaways and exclusive ticket packages for the 2026-27 season, kicking things off with Opening Night on Thursday, Oct. 1, when attendees will receive a 2026-27 Blue Jackets calendar. The lineup at Nationwide Arena stretches from a Snoopy bobblehead in October to a Civil War-inspired hat giveaway in late March, blending pop-culture anniversaries with the team's own history.
According to WSYX, the season also includes Kids Takeover, Hockey Fights Cancer Night and Military Appreciation Night. One of the more eye-catching items on the promotional calendar is the Hockey Fights Cancer ticket package for Nov. 5, which comes with an Ivan and Drake Provorov bobblehead. Drake is Provorov's Golden Retriever, and the dog has built a following of more than 1 million social media followers as “Drake the Pupstar,” according to SFGate.
Why Bobbleheads and Wearables Have Replaced Warmup Jerseys
The heavy reliance on bobbleheads, wearables and ticket-package exclusives across the NHL traces back to a league-wide policy change. Beginning with the 2023-24 season, the NHL prohibited players from wearing specialty cause-based jerseys on the ice during pregame warmups, a shift that pushed teams toward exclusive ticket packages, giveaways and stadium experiences instead, as reported by The Guardian. That backdrop helps explain why Hockey Fights Cancer Night's on-ice presence is now built around an “I Fight For” T-shirt giveaway rather than a specialty jersey.
The cause itself remains a major fundraising driver leaguewide. Hockey Fights Cancer raised a record $9.1 million during the 2025-26 season, pushing its cumulative total past $53 million since the NHL and NHLPA founded the initiative in 1998, per NHL.com. The Blue Jackets' Nov. 5 night folds into that broader campaign.
Marvel Night and Hockey Halloween Bring Pop Culture to the Ice
Marvel Night on Dec. 19 features the Avengers and Dr. Doom, with a ticket package that includes a Jet Greaves bobblehead sporting a detachable Dr. Doom mask, according to the WSYX report. The timing lines up with the theatrical release of Avengers: Doomsday on Dec. 18, 2026. Greaves, who signed a three-year contract extension with the club in July 2026 per the team's own Columbus Blue Jackets announcement, has emerged as a fan-favorite goaltender heading into the promotional spotlight.
A few weeks earlier, Hockey Halloween on Oct. 24 celebrates the 60th anniversary of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, the animated special that first aired on CBS on Oct. 27, 1966, according to Wikipedia. The night includes a CBJ x Peanuts trick-or-treat pillowcase giveaway for the gate and a ticket package built around a CBJ-themed Snoopy and Woodstock bobblehead.
Star Wars, Holidays and a Nod to Civil War History
Star Wars 50th Anniversary Night lands Feb. 20, 2027, marking a half-century since George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope debuted in theaters on May 25, 1977, per Encyclopaedia Britannica. Its ticket package includes a Star Wars-inspired CBJ wearable. Hockey Holidays runs Dec. 10 through Dec. 22, 2026, and will feature live reindeer and Santa Stinger appearances on the final date, with New Year's Eve falling on Thursday, Dec. 31.
The schedule also leans into local identity. The 5th Line Celebration on March 27, 2027, includes a kepi hat giveaway paying tribute to Union Army Civil War caps, a nod to Ohio's contribution of 319,189 Union soldiers whose blue uniforms inspired the Blue Jackets name, according to Jupmode. The 5th Line is the official nickname for Blue Jackets fans. That Civil War tie runs deeper than mascot trivia: the Blue Jackets name itself was chosen in November 1997 through a fan contest sponsored by Wendy's that drew roughly 14,000 entries before the franchise's inaugural 2000-01 season, according to NHL.com.
More Theme Nights and How to Get Tickets
Other dates on the calendar include Hockey Is For Everyone on Feb. 11, 2027, featuring a lapel pin giveaway alongside an LGBTQ+ Pride ticket package with a themed wearable; a Jerry Garcia ticket package on Jan. 8, 2027; First Responders Night on Jan. 30, 2027; Kids Takeover on Jan. 24, 2027, with a kids giveaway still to be announced; a Hawaiian shirt ticket package on March 13, 2027; and Sustainability Night on April 8, 2027, which comes with a 2026-27 team poster. Military Appreciation Night on Nov. 12, 2026, will also include a themed wearable.
All of these theme nights unfold at Nationwide Arena, which seats 18,144 for hockey and was originally financed by Nationwide Insurance to help secure Columbus's NHL expansion franchise in 2000, per EBSCO. The arena anchors the city's Arena District entertainment area. This year's slate marks a shift from the 2025-26 season, when the Blue Jackets marked their 25th anniversary in the NHL with five dedicated Anniversary Games featuring former-player appearances and collectible card sets, according to NHL.com; the 2026-27 calendar returns to a mix of holiday, pop-culture and community-focused nights.
Single-game tickets are on sale now at bluejackets.com/promotions, while the themed ticket packages go on sale to the public Friday at 10 a.m.
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