IN FIVE DECADES, THE SUPER BOWL HAS GROWN FROM A NOVELTY THAT COULDN’T SELL OUT THE L.A. MEMORIAL COLISEUM TO A CULTURAL PHENOMENON. December 2015/January 2016 57 Walesh, San Jose’s deputy city manager and director of economic development, says the National Football Conference champions will lodge at the downtown San Jose Marriott and practice at San Jose State University, while the American Football Conference champions will stay at the Santa Clara Marriott and practice at Stanford. Spectators and media will join athletes in snapping up the city’s 3,821 hotel rooms, says David Andre, vice president of marketing and communications for the Santa Clara Convention & Visitors Bureau. However, that won’t be enough. Locals are listing their homes on sites like Airbnb to accommodate out-of-town guests, and expect to earn a pretty penny while doing so. While it may be the biggest, the Super Bowl isn’t the Mission City’s first attempt at hosting a large-scale event. Levi’s Stadium has played ringmaster to several attractions since it opened in 2014. “We had 76,000 people for Wrestlemania 31 and 83,000 for the Grateful Dead concert,” Andre says. “We’re working to make this an outstanding experience for our Super Bowl visitors.” So whether you’re planning to spend the big day in your living room or on the 50-yard line, it’s time to set the game clock and check out our line-up of events. FAMILY HUDDLE A slew of events geared toward fans of all ages will offer plenty of opportunities for families to pregame together. Starting months before the big game, many Super Bowl-related activities will be free. Perhaps this will help offset the cost of actually attending the game in person. After last year’s Super Bowl broke records for the priciest tickets in history, Super Bowl 50 could make the average $4,000 Super Bowl XLIX ticket look like a steal. “The Super Bowl itself is a very familyfriendly event, and there will be opportunities to participate in family-oriented events and activities throughout the Bay Area,“ Martin says. “We consider this a regional Super Bowl.“ Despite Santa Clara’s status as host city, some of the biggest events will be held in San Francisco, where Super Bowl City will fill Justin Herman Plaza and a portion of Market Street around Embarcadero Center. The NFL Experience will hold court a few blocks away at Moscone Center. The latter event, dubbed an “interactive theme park” by Martin, requires tickets and will feature a variety of games—allowing kids and their adult guardians to pass, Champions Row—part of The 50 Tour—displays all eight Bay Area Super Bowl Vince Lombardi Trophies together for the first time. CHRISTOPHER DYDYK
South Bay Accent - Dec 2015/Jan 2016
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