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The Super Bowl Experience (formerly the NFL Experience) is an annual event which has been held since 1992 at a venue in the host city of the Super Bowl. The event is described as an interactive "theme park",[1][2] featuring various fan-oriented attractions, including football-related activities and autograph sessions with current and former players.[1] Proceeds from the sale of Super Bowl Experience tickets go to fund the NFL's Youth Education Town (YET) initiative, which constructs facilities (typically in low-income neighborhoods of Super Bowl host cities) offering afterschool programs for youth.[3][4] Tickets to this event are free and can be assessed at the OnePass App on the NFLs main website.[5]
In November 2017, the NFL opened an NFL Experience attraction at New York City's 20 Times Square, in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, which featured a similar array of interactive experiences and memorabilia. Consequently, the NFL began to refer to the travelling event as the Super Bowl Experience beginning in 2018 for Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. The Times Square experience was later closed.
History
editThe first NFL Experience was held at the Minneapolis Convention Center in January 1992 prior to Super Bowl XXVI. The NFL's interactive theme park was followed by Major League Baseball's first "FanFest" in San Diego, California six months later.
In 2013 the NFL Experience was hosted at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center.[3]
The NFL Experience was not held for Super Bowl XLVIII. Instead, the NFL organized an outdoor festival, Super Bowl Boulevard, along Broadway and Times Square, which featured a similar array of fan-oriented events and attractions (such as an artificial toboggan hill).[6][7][8] Animal Planet held a "Puppy Bowl Experience" at the Discovery Times Square exhibition promoting its annual Puppy Bowl special (which traditionally airs on the day of the Super Bowl), to ride the festivities' coattails.[9]
The 2015 NFL Experience was hosted at the Phoenix Convention Center.[3]
The 2016 NFL Experience was hosted at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.[10]
The 2017 NFL Experience was hosted at George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. The Houston Super Bowl Host Committee also hosted its own outdoor festival, Super Bowl Live, in the adjacent Discovery Green park, which featured entertainment events.[11][12]
For Super Bowl LII, the event was renamed the Super Bowl Experience, and was held at the Minneapolis Convention Center.[13][1] The Super Bowl LIII edition was held at the Georgia World Congress Center.[14]
The Super Bowl Experience for Super Bowl LIV was held at the Miami Beach Convention Center.[15]
Super Bowl LV's Super Bowl Experience was held at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, with capacity and health protocols in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]
Super Bowl LVI’s Super Bowl Experience was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
NFL Experience Times Square
editOn November 30, 2017, the NFL opened an attraction known as NFL Experience Times Square, within four ground-level floors of 20 Times Square in New York City. The 40,000 square-foot attraction was a collaboration with Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, and featured various interactive activities and multimedia experiences, including a 4D film, a simulated locker room and practice area, displays of memorabilia, and a bar and restaurant that would feature a rotation of menu selections from NFL stadiums.[17][18][19][20] In February 2018, it was announced that NFL Network's Good Morning Football would move to a studio at the attraction in April, after having previously used a CBS studio in New York City.[21]
In September 2018, it was announced that the attraction would close, citing underperforming attendance numbers (which analysts pegged to poor promotion by the NFL, and high ticket prices). It was to remain open through at least the end of 2018.[22][23] Good Morning Football moved to SportsNet New York's facilities at 4 World Trade Center in November 2018.[24]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Tickets for Super Bowl Experience 'theme park' go on sale Tuesday". TwinCities.com. December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ "L.A. Gets The NFL Experience". Advertising Age. January 25, 1993. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
a 'theme park' event held outside game gates called the NFL Experience, which for the second year will bring sponsorship opportunities for national NFL advertisers and their local partners
- ^ a b c "NFL Experience". fanhospitality.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
s
- ^ "Jerry Jones, NFL give $1 million each for Arlington's new Youth Education Town". SportsDay. February 3, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
- ^ "Super Bowl LV Experience - FAQ". NFL.com. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
- ^ "New Jersey takes backseat in Super Bowl XLVIII billing". USA Today. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "Super Bowl 2014 fan guide: NFL 'Boulevard' on Broadway". NJ.com. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ Jeff Briggs (February 13, 2013). "2014 Super Bowl will not have NFL Experience in New York". SB Nation. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ "Puppy Bowl X Preview: Designer Dogs, Penguin Cheerleaders and Fantasy Four-Legged Football". The Hollywood Reporter. January 17, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- ^ Roberts, Chris (October 15, 2014). "Super Bowl 50 Gets Financial Boost from Big Tech". NBC Bay Area. NBCUniversal Media. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ "Super Bowl LIVE Kicks Off at Discovery Green". Houston Press. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
- ^ Barron, David (November 17, 2016). "Super Bowl LI "Opening Night" at Minute Maid on Jan. 30". Houston Chronicle.com. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- ^ "Twin Cities setting stage for Super Bowl LII in grand fashion". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ "Road to Super Bowl LIII: Atlanta's downtown cluster a perfect fit for NFL". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ "Complete Guide to Super Bowl LIV Week Events in South Florida". NBC 6 South Florida. January 20, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
- ^ "NFL Experience rises along Tampa waterfront as Super Bowl 55 nears". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "This New Times Square Hotel Will Be Wrapped in New York City's Biggest Billboard". Travel & Leisure. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "The Future of Cirque du Soleil Isn't the Circus". Bloomberg Businessweek. November 29, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ Cox, Gordon (June 23, 2016). "Cirque du Soleil, NFL Team Up For Massive Times Square Attraction". Variety. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "The NFL opened up a football theme park in the middle of Times Square". SBNation.com. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "Good Morning Football moving to new NFL Experience in Times Square". Awful Announcing. February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Experience Sacked During First-Year Opening Drive". MediaPost. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Experience Still Open In Times Square Through End Of Year". Sports Business Daily. November 26, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.(subscription required)
- ^ Dachman, Jason (October 26, 2018). "NFL Media Ramps Up for Exclusive London Broadcast; Good Morning Football Preps for Move to SNY". Sports Video Group. Retrieved November 5, 2018.