Belmont on Broadway: Lineup and VIP Experience Revealed

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga’s Belmont Stakes festivities started early this year with 80-degree weather, a boisterous crowd, and flowing beer taps.

City bigwigs gathered at Druthers Brewing on Broadway last Thursday for the third and final Belmont on Broadway lineup announcement. 

Before unveiling the headliners that will perform at the free concert on June 3, Marisa Flynn of Proctors Collaborative announced that, prior to the music, comedian Chelsea Handler would take the stage at Universal Preservation Hall for a special VIP experience.

Starting at 2 p.m., VIP-ers can enjoy reserved parking, “strut their stuff” on a green carpet (to match Belmont’s distinct color), get their photo taken, receive a keepsake lanyard and commemorative poster, watch the day’s races on TVs inside, and then seat themselves for Handler’s ticketed stand-up show at 4 p.m. The event is timed so that once Handler exits the stage, VIP-ers can saunter over to Broadway for the 7 p.m. concert. Once on Broadway, VIP-ers can access a tent that will be available in Ellsworth Jones Plaza near the stage.

This year’s Belmont on Broadway finale will be headlined by Fitz and the Tantrums, with Vertical Horizon appearing as their opener.

The Tantrums are an indie pop group best known for their hit singles “HandClap” (if you’ve ever attended a baseball game, you’ve probably heard this song), “Out of My League” (which has more than one billion plays on Spotify), and “The Walker.”

Horizon is an alt-rock band that scored a massive hit in 1999 with “Everything You Want.” 

Tickets for the Chelsea Handler performance and VIP experience go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 24 at atuph.org or chelseahandler.com. The Belmont on Broadway concert, per usual, will be free to attend.

New this year on Broadway will be beverage and snack stations from event sponsors Coca-Cola and Market 32. 

The thoroughfare will close at 5 a.m. on the day of the event.

“Saratoga knows how to party,” said Flynn at the Druthers-hosted announcement event. “This is amazing. How iconic that we are in our third and final installment of Belmont on Broadway to kick off the third and final installment of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival this year.”

Previous Belmont on Broadway headliners included Blues Traveler in 2024 and Gin Blossoms in 2025.

The Belmont Stakes will occur at the Saratoga Race Course for the final time on June 6. Starting in 2027, the Triple Crown race will return home to the newly-built Belmont Park on Long Island.