Wednesday February 7, 2024 | 2 a.m
Imagine testing your speed against an NFL running back, throwing a football as if you were standing on the 50-yard line at Allegiant Stadium, or seeing the Vince Lombardi Trophy in all its glory.
It’s all part of the Super Bowl experience, which opens today at the 700,000-square-foot Mandalay Bay South Convention Center. It’s a sort of “theme park” and the center of Super Bowl 58, which will pit the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium for the NFL championship.
“It really is the birthplace of all football,” said Nicki Ewell, NFL senior events director, describing the Super Bowl experience. “Even if you don’t have a ticket to the Super Bowl Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, it’s your Super Bowl.”
The convention space is billed as a football fan’s dream, with plenty of giant, colorful signs emblazoned with the Super Bowl, Chiefs and 49ers logos.
There are plenty of activities for kids, including Crucial Catch Two Minute Drill, where participants can channel their inner quarterback as they attempt to pass a football to three targets before time runs out.
There will also be a special area for young children, called the NFL Play 60 Zone, with a dance floor and on-field clinics led by USA Football coaches and NFL players. And there’s also an obstacle course similar to the one used at the NFL Combine for draft prospects.
For those wanting less physical experiences, there are plenty of autograph booths and photo ops with players. Step inside a “uniform cast” decorated with your favorite NFL team’s insignia for a photo, or get an up-close look at a complete collection of all 57 Super Bowl rings.
“We have truly created an NFL and Super Bowl theme park for fans at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club, international events and league affairs during of a virtual press conference last week. “It’s an elevated experience compared to any other Super Bowl experience.”
With Super Bowl tickets costing thousands of dollars, Ewell said they encourage locals to join the football festivities at the Super Bowl Experience if they can’t attend the game. The experience was designed with locals in mind, she added.
This is one of several Super Bowl-themed activations and activities taking place this week on Las Vegas Boulevard.
A 65,000 square foot projection will project onto the side of Caesars Palace’s Augustus Tower, broadcasting a 3 1/2 minute show every night. Photo ops with a large Super Bowl throne, the Lombardi Trophy and the Super Bowl 58 logo are also scattered throughout the property.
The Strip’s hotel marquees will be manned from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with Super Bowl-related content all week, courtesy of the NFL, and the Sphere will display Super Bowl content on its exterior.
Even the Las Vegas Boulevard pedestrian bridges are lined with Super Bowl graphics on the exterior and offer surprise photo opportunities inside five bridges.
“Obviously the focus is on game day at Allegiant Stadium, but the real importance to us and to the fans is the many accessible ways – whether you’re a resident of Vegas or Nevada or the visitors from across the country and the world – can take part in the Super Bowl festivities,” O’Reilly said.
The Super Bowl Experience will be open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. today through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets for the Super Bowl Experience start at $25 for admission today and $50 Thursday through Saturday. Children 12 and under are free. The NFL OnePass app is required to access the experience.
Buy tickets at Ticketmaster atticketmaster.com/super-bowl-experience-presented-by-toyota-tickets/artist/2705794.
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