Fans experienced a full range of weather, including snowfall, over the 10 days of Super Bowl Live festivitiesGETTY IMAGES
Despite intermittent snowfall over 10 days that "turned the Twin Cities into a giant snow globe," visitors and residents "embraced outdoor and indoor activities" around the Super Bowl Live fan experience at Nicollet Mall, according to a front-page piece by Olson & Louwagie of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. A zipline across the Mississippi River was a "hit before anyone arrived to town" and fans "packed the audience for free concerts at Super Bowl Live." Even throughout the day on Saturday, as snow "continued falling, parking was scarce and traffic was heavy with fans flocking to the event" that took four years of planning (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/5). Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee VP/Communications & Events Andrea Mokros estimated that by kickoff last night, "more than 1 million people will have attended the 10-day Super Bowl Live festivities" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/3). In St. Paul, Dave Orrick graded the outdoor festivities at Super Bowl Live on Saturday and gave the scene an "A-." Minnesota native and snowmobiler Levi Lavallee’s "soaring backflip over Nicollet Mall was Saturday’s showstopper, and a number of fans said long lines for other attractions, such as SleepNumber’s virtual reality or Super Bowl 360, were worth the wait." Orrick gave the walkability of the event a "B-" grade. A number of "bottlenecks -- most notably bottleneck-and-detour combos around the American Birkebeiner International Bridge and the snowmobile jumping zone -- prompted moans from some pedestrians" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 2/4). In Minneapolis, Olson & Jany cited sources as saying that Minneapolis-based EPG Security -- which had been manning Super Bowl Live -- was "replaced Wednesday for insufficient background checks of its employees." Sources said that the Super Bowl Host Committee replaced EPG with Minneapolis-based G4S (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/4).
LOOKING AHEAD: In Tampa, Rick Stroud noted the Super Bowl Live experience around the '21 game in the area will be "centered near the burgeoning Tampa Riverwalk, which will be the pathway to the events that week." Tampa Bay Sports Commission Exec Dir Rob Higgins said, "The Riverwalk will be the backbone to our fan experience, connecting several events. You can move from one event to the next along the Riverwalk without ever having to get into a car. It will be a key differentiator for us and create a phenomenal experience" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 2/3).
