World Jai-alai League Has New Pelota/ Grand Opening Friday, February 13th
World Jai-alai League Has New Pelota/ Grand Opening Friday, February 13th
January 12, 2025: The World Jai-alai League has issued an official press release regarding the grand opening of their 9th season to be played at Miami Casino – the former original jai-alai fronton.
I had announced that the season opens on Tuesday, February 10th and that is still the case. But the doors will not be open to let you in. It looks like the “only open on Friday night” rule is again in effect.
Instead, they will hold their official Grand Opening event on Friday the 13th at 7pm.
Comedian Whitney Cummings will follow the jai-alai performance with a headliner performance. Cummings has one of the most recognizable voices in comedy and will perform her successful “The Big Baby Tour”. She’s not only a comedian, but an actress, writer, producer, and a director. She was the creator and star of NBC’s “Whitney” and the co-creator and co-writer of the Emmy-nominated CBS series “2 Broke Girls”. She is also the host of the popular podcast “Good for You” and released her sixth stand-up special, “Mouthy”, a couple of years ago.
As we have announced in the past, the “new” JAM Arena will bring back a new version of jai-ala never seen before, combining the traditional jai- alai granite walls in the front and regular concrete side wall to go along with a new glass back wall installed near the serving line making the court 126 feet long as opposed to the old 176 feet or so that it was 100 years ago.
One of the biggest obstacles has been solved – they have a new ball designed that has been tested and approved by management. The newly designed ball – made from the same manufacturer as their Magic City ball in Spain– has been thoroughly tested and plays great. The new ball is made from much harder plastic. I’ll be curious how it sounds from hitting the front wall, but anything different then the old sound will
I did inquire about getting the old Magic City balls for Puryear Park, but they want to hold out for the season to make sure they hold up. Smart decision, because no one has an idea how well the harder wall will last out there. It’s a whole new ball game.
