The Charlotte Hornets today announced the activities and promotions that will take place around their home opener on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. at Time Warner Cable Arena. Lowe’s will be the game’s presenting sponsor and all fans in attendance will receive a commemorative teal tuxedo T-shirt. In addition, fans attending the opener will be the first to receive the new Swarm Socks. The Swarm Socks hearken back to 1988 when tube socks were popular and the Hornets debuted the fashionable purple and teal. With the Hornets back in Charlotte, the socks have returned too with the launch of a new tradition as fans are encouraged to bring their Swarm Socks to Hornets games and wave them in support of the team.
Time Warner Cable Arena’s doors will open 30 minutes earlier than normal for Sunday’s home opener, at noon for Swarm365 Members and 12:30 p.m. for the general public. The Trade Street Plaza will feature a performance from local band Simplified at 12:15 p.m. Entertainment elements on the 100-level concourse before and during the game will include a Tap Snap green screen photo booth, DJ Chase, balloon artists, stilt walkers, face painters and more.
The national anthem prior to the game will be sung by 10-year-old Macy Timmerman. The halftime entertainment will be Jason Xiao, a rolla bolla performer who has been with Cirque du Soleil, the Big Apple Circus and Circus China. As Hornets fans would expect, other in-game entertainment highlights include the Honey Bees, dunking by Super Hugo, a performance by the Lil’ Stingers and pre- and post-game performances by Buzz City Brass.
Hornets.com and the Hornets Mobile App will once again have fans covered whether they’re in attendance or not. Hornets.com’s 30-minute “Live at the Hive” pregame show will return this season with new hostess Leah Rubertino, airing 60 minutes prior to the game, or at 1 p.m. on Sunday. For fans active on social media, the Hornets will continue to have full coverage on Twitter (@hornets), Facebook (/hornets) and Instagram (@hornets), along with the addition of Snapchat (hornets) this season. Every game day, home or away, Fox Sports Southeast Hornets color analyst Stephanie Ready will take part in a Twitter chat with fans to preview the game and give her take on the team.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early for Sunday’s game, as the NBA has implemented several new security measures for the 2015-16 season. Time Warner Cable Arena will no longer be using wands as the primary method of screening patrons entering the building, as every entrance has been updated to have a metal detector present that patrons will walk through. Wands will still be used for secondary screening purposes. In addition, bags being brought into the arena will be restricted to a size of approximately 14” x 14” x 6”, and duffel bags and backpacks will no longer be allowed, regardless of size. It is recommended that fans bring only what is necessary for them to enjoy the game in order to expedite the screening process.
Fans unable to attend Sunday’s opener can still follow the action by watching the TV broadcast on Fox Sports Southeast or the Fox Sports Go app, or listening to the radio broadcast on WFNZ 610 AM or the Hornets Mobile App. WFNZ will air a special two-hour pregame show live from Time Warner Cable Arena starting at noon that will be hosted by “Primetime” host Chris Kroeger.
