When the Predators host the Buffalo Sabres at Bridgestone Arena next Tuesday, there will be plenty more to cheer for than just the home team trying for two more points in the standings.
That contest on Jan. 20 marks Black Music Heritage Night - presented by Nissan - for the Preds, but before the doors even open, the commemoration will already be underway.
Just 24 hours prior, staff from the Nashville front office are set to participate in another Smashville Day of Service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a semi-annual way for those in the organization to volunteer throughout Middle Tennessee to better the community.
From food banks, warehouses, animal rescues and everywhere in between, Predators staff will be embracing the ONE GOAL mentality and leaving their city better than they found it when the day began.
And at that point, the festivities will have only just begun.
This year’s installment of Black Music Heritage Night will feature the Music Heritage Showcase, presented by Nissan, and curated by the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) with acts representing the permanent exhibits inside the museum located just across Broadway from Bridgestone Arena.
The evening is not only a celebration of culture and community, but also what a hockey game can do to bring people together, no matter the circumstance.
“Sports are unifying,” Preds Director of Social Impact and Growth Amy Bratten said. “What’s great about working for a sports organization is that you gather people who are strangers, and they sit next to each other, and they're cheering for the same team in Gold or the same artist or the same act that comes to Bridgestone Arena, and all of a sudden they have something in common. Being able to be a part of that unity is really special, and something that we take seriously, that we want to continue to cultivate for our entire community.”
As fans arrive to the game on Jan. 20, they’re invited to experience a Musical Journey Passport on the Arena concourse as part of the NMAAM exhibits. A completed passport equates to a free ticket to the museum.
A staple of the night is the Black Music Heritage Preds jerseys with a custom logo, designed this year by local artist Elisheba Mrozik. The jerseys will be signed and available for auction through the Nashville Predators Foundation benefitting nonprofits in the Black community.
Saxophonist Jamaine Pitts is the featured musician during the game, and Sankofa Drum & Dance are the intermission spotlight performers as well.
The celebration is all part of the GUIDER initiative - an acronym that stands for Growth, Understanding, Inclusion, Diversity, Equality and Representation. Created by the Preds in 2020, the progress made across Nashville in growing hockey and beyond has been noteworthy.
Entering its sixth year of impact, GUIDER continues to effect positive change across the organization and throughout the Nashville community. Working hand in hand with the Preds Foundation, the initiative continues to make an intentional effort to be actionable while using reach, relationships and resources to benefit the community under the Predators logo that stands for so much more than just hockey in Nashville.
“In every area of our business, we have this commitment to making sure that we have an inclusive and equitable space for all of our fans, all of the people that work here and all the people who call Nashville and Middle Tennessee home,” Amy Bratten said. “We're proud of what we've established through GUIDER. We're continuing to learn and grow every day and appreciate anyone who will learn more about GUIDER or come support what we're doing to celebrate Nashville’s diverse communities.”
Two nights later on Jan. 22, HBCU Night presented by Nissan will commence as the Preds celebrate the history and impact of Nashville's four local HBCUs - Tennessee State University, Fisk University, Meharry Medical College and American Baptist College.
A combined HBCU choir will perform the National Anthem, and the Divine 9 Greek Organization will serve as the honorary towel wavers prior to puck drop. Representatives from Meharry Medical College will be named the Mayors of Smashville to honor the institution's 150th anniversary, and the TSU Marching Band drum majors will be featured during an intermission.
Once February arrives, Black History Month activations presented by Nissan will continue as the multi-year community partnership with the Nashville Black Market welcomes vendors to Bridgestone Arena for fans to support local, Black-owned businesses.
The vendors, who will be featured on the Arena’s main concourse during home games on Feb. 2nd, 4th and 26th, will give fans a taste of what’s to come at the Nashville Black Market Black History Month Expo at the Nashville Fairgrounds on Feb. 28 and Mar. 1.
All in all, it’s a month-and-a-half of not only cheering on everyone’s favorite hockey team, but also celebrating the Nashville community and the people who help make Music City the place so many know and love.
“Nashville is a diverse city, and through GUIDER, our commitment is to make sure that our fanbase begins to, and eventually represents the diversity of the community that we are a part of,” Bratten said. “The Preds want to be part of the community and celebrate how Nashville came to be the vibrant, music-driven sports town that it is.”
The Nashville Predators are proud to partner with Nissan USA to celebrate Black history and heritage throughout 2026. Join us January 20 at Bridgestone Arena as we celebrate Black Music Heritage Night and take on the Buffalo Sabres. More info and tickets available now.
